What are we learning from the Stations?
The Sensory Station provides common metrics of sensorimotor abilities that are currently being collected in a number interesting athlete and soldier populations. As such, this tool provides a unique translational bridge between laboratory-based research and applications for both sports and military pursuits. Some of the emerging articles and findings based on the Sensory Station are listed below. Click on the title image to get a PDF of the paper.
Erickson et. al (2011) demonstrate test-retest reliability of the Station measures.
"The results of this study show that many of the Nike Sensory Station assessments show repeatability and no learning effect over time. The measures that did improve across sessions show an expected learning effect caused by the motor response characteristics being measured." These tasks include Near-Far Quickness, Eye-Hand Coordination, and Go/No-Go.
The P3 Lab at Duke University uses the Sensory Stations to examine sensorimotor variability (Wang et al. 2015) and learning (Krasich et al. under review).
Research in the P3 Lab seeks to examine the ways in which individuals differ in their sensorimotor skills and how these can be improved with training. In Wang et al (2015) we show that the Sensory Stations primarily assess three types of abilities; visual-motor control, visual sensitivity, and eye-quickness (dynamic attention), and that some aspects of these abilities differ between the genders and as a function of the time of day. Further, in Krasich et al. (under review) we have found that training on the Sensory Station leads improvements in tasks involving visual-motor function, with little improvement in visual sensitivity.
Researchers at the University of North Dakota have shown the Sensory Station tasks are predictive of on-ice performance.
Poltavski & Biberdorff (2014). The role of visual perception measures used in sports vision programs in predicting actual game performance in Division collegiate hockey players.
Using the Sensory Stations as a primary research tool Poltavski and Biberdorff demonstrated that 69% of the goals made by Division I collegiate hockey players over two seasons could be predicted by faster reaction time to a visual stimulus (average simple RT), better visual memory (Perception Span), better visual discrimination (Go/No-Go), and a faster ability to shift focus between near and far objects (Near-Far Quickness Score) as assessed with the Sensory Station. Approximately 42% of the game points were significantly related to better discrimination among competing visual stimuli (Go/No-Go) and faster reaction time (average simple RT). This is one of the first studies to show that trainable sensorimotor skills, are indeed important for sports performance.
Researchers at the Matthew Gfeller Center at UNC-Chapel Hill have been using the Stations to study the effects of sports-related traumatic brain injury
Current projects at the Matthew Gfeller Sports-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center have utilized the Sensory Stations as a tool for understanding the effects of concussions on vision and sensory performance As part of this program, they are working to derive 'reliable change indices' that describe how performance on the Stations changes over time in both concussed and non-concussed athletes. This information will allow for the Sensory Station tasks to be used as clinical diagnostics for TBI. In addition, Harpham et al (2013) showed that among a cohort of 38 Division I college football players, individuals who scored worse in Sensory Station tasks prior to the football season were more likely to sustained severe head impacts during practices and games throughout the course of the season.
Supporting References for Station Tasks
Here are a few more supporting references that pertain to the tasks included in the Sensory Station battery.
Are there articles, that you think should be added here? Email us and let us know.