Peter J Beek
Biographic Data
| ID | 1850614 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Peter J Beek |
| GIVEN NAMES | Peter J |
| FAMILY NAME | Beek |
| SIGNATURE | BEEK P J |
| AFFILIATIONS | InnoSportLab |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-0917-8548 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 14 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 1 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 14 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1989 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Learning how to swim in 5- to 12-year-old children
Background Swimming is widely acknowledged for its safety and health benefits. Across the world children are receiving swimming lessons in which a variety of learning methods are employed. However, little is known about the effectiveness of those methods, and a comprehensive overview of pertinent research is lacking. Such an overview is needed for both researchers and instructors seeking to improve swimming skill acquisition in children. Objectiv…
How intrinsically motivating are swimming instructors/lessons in the Netherlands? An observational study through the lens of self-determination theory
Background It is desirable that (more) children continue swimming after having completed their swimming lessons to preserve their swimming skills and water safety, and as part of an active, healthy lifestyle. This may be encouraged by stirring children's intrinsic motivation for swimming during swimming lessons. However, it is currently unknown how intrinsically motivating swimming lessons are in Western countries. Purpose This study examined to …
Improving tumble turn performance in swimming—the impact of wall contact time and tuck index
Race time can be shortened by improving turn performance in competitive swimming, but this requires insight into the optimal turn technique. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of Wall Contact Time (WCT) and Tuck Index on tumble turn performance and their interrelations by experimentally manipulating both variables, which has not been done in previous research. Eighteen Dutch national level swimmers (FINA points 552 ± 122) perf…
Implications of the choice of distance-based measures in assessing and investigating tumble turn performance
Although the tumble turn in swimming has been studied extensively, no consensus exists about which measure is best suited to capture its performance. The aim of this study was to better understand the implications of choosing a particular distance-based performance measure for assessing and investigating tumble turn performance in freestyle swimming. To this end, a large set of retrospective turn data consisting of 2,813 turns performed by 160 sw…
Sprint Performance in Arms-Only Front Crawl Swimming Is Strongly Associated With the Power-To-Drag Ratio
To date, optimal propulsion in swimming has been studied predominantly using physical or computational models of the arm and seldom during real-life swimming. In the present study we examined the contributions of selected power, technique and anthropometric measures on sprint performance during arms-only front crawl swimming. To this end, 25 male adult competitive swimmers, equipped with markers on their arms and hands, performed four 25-m sprint…
Attention and time constraints in perceptual-motor learning and performance
The Role of Anxiety in Perceiving and Realizing Affordances
Three experiments were conducted to examine the role of anxiety in perceiving and realizing affordances in wall climbing. Identical traverses were situated high and low on a climbing wall to manipulate anxiety. In Experiment 1, participants judged their maximal overhead reachability and performed maximal reaches on the climbing wall. Anxiety was found to reduce both perceived and actual maximal reaching height. In Experiment 2, participants climb…
A Comparison of Real Catching With Catching Using Stereoscopic Visual Displays
To date, the usefulness of stereoscopic visual displays in research on manual interceptive actions has never been examined. In this study, we compared the catching movements of 8 right-handed participants (6 men, 2 women) in a real environment (with suspended balls swinging past the participant, requiring lateral hand movements for interception) with those in a situation in which similar virtual ball trajectories were displayed stereoscopically i…
Eye Movements and the Selection of Optical Information for Catching
The direction of gaze during a single-ball throwing and catching task was analyzed to generate hypotheses regarding the optical information that participants used. Five intermediate and 5 expert jugglers threw and caught a single ball continuously with 1 hand while wearing a head-mounted eye tracker to monitor their direction of gaze. Participants were instructed to throw the ball at 3 self-paced frequencies: preferred, one half of preferred, and…
The State of Ecological Psychology
In this article we discuss the state of ecological psychology, broadly defined as the branch of science dealing with the coordination of activity with respect to perceptual information. Three theoretical approaches to this theme are distinguished: direct perception, kinetic theory, and pattern dynamics. After a brief regard to four problem areas, namely, the identification of the essential variables of perception and action, the empirical testing…
Phasing and the Pickup of Optical Information in Cascade Juggling
Four experiments were conducted to examine the relationship between the phasing of hand movements and the pickup of optical information in cascade juggling. Three jugglers of intermediate skill juggled three balls while wearing liquid crystal (LC) glasses that opened and closed at preset intervals. The first experiment, in which the duration of the viewing window was gradually reduced to zero, revealed a preference for seeing the segment of the b…
Autonomous and Nonautonomous Dynamics of Coordinated Rhythmic Movements
Recently, accounts of human rhythmic movement have been given in terms of nonlinear dissipative dynamics with special emphasis on the autonomous dynamics that characterize self-organizing systems. In this article, an argument is made for a modeling strategy that allows for and, when possible, attempts to capitalize on the incorporation of nonautonomous dynamics in models of human rhythmic move- ment, that is, dynamics that characterize systems th…
Task-Specific Dynamics and the Study of Perception and Action
In a recent discussion of motor development, von Hofsten (1989) distinguished two approaches which he called the perception-action and dynamic systems ap- proaches, respectively. In this reaction, we suggest that the proposed distinction is inappropriate. We argue that research on perception and action in terms of task-specific dynamics is uniquely suited to the characterization of problems inherent to the coupling of perception and action. The p…
Timing and Phase Locking in Cascade Juggling
A natural-physical approach is pursued in uncovering basic timing and phase relations in human rhythmic movement. The approach is based on the theory of nonlinear oscillatory motion, entrained by continuously and discretely distrib- uted forcing. In the context of juggling three balls in a figure-eight pattern, a preliminary modeling attempt of the cyclical hand motion suggested that the dynamics underwriting juggling are captured best by a discr…
Sprint Performance in Arms-Only Front Crawl Swimming Is Strongly Associated With the Power-To-Drag Ratio
To date, optimal propulsion in swimming has been studied predominantly using physical or computational models of the arm and seldom during real-life swimming. In the present study we examined the contributions of selected power, technique and anthropometric measures on sprint performance during arms-only front crawl swimming. To this end, 25 male adult competitive swimmers, equipped with markers on their arms and hands, performed four 25-m sprint…
Timing and Phase Locking in Cascade Juggling
A natural-physical approach is pursued in uncovering basic timing and phase relations in human rhythmic movement. The approach is based on the theory of nonlinear oscillatory motion, entrained by continuously and discretely distrib- uted forcing. In the context of juggling three balls in a figure-eight pattern, a preliminary modeling attempt of the cyclical hand motion suggested that the dynamics underwriting juggling are captured best by a discr…
Task-Specific Dynamics and the Study of Perception and Action
In a recent discussion of motor development, von Hofsten (1989) distinguished two approaches which he called the perception-action and dynamic systems ap- proaches, respectively. In this reaction, we suggest that the proposed distinction is inappropriate. We argue that research on perception and action in terms of task-specific dynamics is uniquely suited to the characterization of problems inherent to the coupling of perception and action. The p…
Autonomous and Nonautonomous Dynamics of Coordinated Rhythmic Movements
Recently, accounts of human rhythmic movement have been given in terms of nonlinear dissipative dynamics with special emphasis on the autonomous dynamics that characterize self-organizing systems. In this article, an argument is made for a modeling strategy that allows for and, when possible, attempts to capitalize on the incorporation of nonautonomous dynamics in models of human rhythmic move- ment, that is, dynamics that characterize systems th…
Phasing and the Pickup of Optical Information in Cascade Juggling
Four experiments were conducted to examine the relationship between the phasing of hand movements and the pickup of optical information in cascade juggling. Three jugglers of intermediate skill juggled three balls while wearing liquid crystal (LC) glasses that opened and closed at preset intervals. The first experiment, in which the duration of the viewing window was gradually reduced to zero, revealed a preference for seeing the segment of the b…
The State of Ecological Psychology
In this article we discuss the state of ecological psychology, broadly defined as the branch of science dealing with the coordination of activity with respect to perceptual information. Three theoretical approaches to this theme are distinguished: direct perception, kinetic theory, and pattern dynamics. After a brief regard to four problem areas, namely, the identification of the essential variables of perception and action, the empirical testing…
Eye Movements and the Selection of Optical Information for Catching
The direction of gaze during a single-ball throwing and catching task was analyzed to generate hypotheses regarding the optical information that participants used. Five intermediate and 5 expert jugglers threw and caught a single ball continuously with 1 hand while wearing a head-mounted eye tracker to monitor their direction of gaze. Participants were instructed to throw the ball at 3 self-paced frequencies: preferred, one half of preferred, and…
A Comparison of Real Catching With Catching Using Stereoscopic Visual Displays
To date, the usefulness of stereoscopic visual displays in research on manual interceptive actions has never been examined. In this study, we compared the catching movements of 8 right-handed participants (6 men, 2 women) in a real environment (with suspended balls swinging past the participant, requiring lateral hand movements for interception) with those in a situation in which similar virtual ball trajectories were displayed stereoscopically i…
The Role of Anxiety in Perceiving and Realizing Affordances
Three experiments were conducted to examine the role of anxiety in perceiving and realizing affordances in wall climbing. Identical traverses were situated high and low on a climbing wall to manipulate anxiety. In Experiment 1, participants judged their maximal overhead reachability and performed maximal reaches on the climbing wall. Anxiety was found to reduce both perceived and actual maximal reaching height. In Experiment 2, participants climb…
Attention and time constraints in perceptual-motor learning and performance
Improving tumble turn performance in swimming—the impact of wall contact time and tuck index
Race time can be shortened by improving turn performance in competitive swimming, but this requires insight into the optimal turn technique. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of Wall Contact Time (WCT) and Tuck Index on tumble turn performance and their interrelations by experimentally manipulating both variables, which has not been done in previous research. Eighteen Dutch national level swimmers (FINA points 552 ± 122) perf…
Implications of the choice of distance-based measures in assessing and investigating tumble turn performance
Although the tumble turn in swimming has been studied extensively, no consensus exists about which measure is best suited to capture its performance. The aim of this study was to better understand the implications of choosing a particular distance-based performance measure for assessing and investigating tumble turn performance in freestyle swimming. To this end, a large set of retrospective turn data consisting of 2,813 turns performed by 160 sw…
Sprint Performance in Arms-Only Front Crawl Swimming Is Strongly Associated With the Power-To-Drag Ratio
To date, optimal propulsion in swimming has been studied predominantly using physical or computational models of the arm and seldom during real-life swimming. In the present study we examined the contributions of selected power, technique and anthropometric measures on sprint performance during arms-only front crawl swimming. To this end, 25 male adult competitive swimmers, equipped with markers on their arms and hands, performed four 25-m sprint…
How intrinsically motivating are swimming instructors/lessons in the Netherlands? An observational study through the lens of self-determination theory
Background It is desirable that (more) children continue swimming after having completed their swimming lessons to preserve their swimming skills and water safety, and as part of an active, healthy lifestyle. This may be encouraged by stirring children's intrinsic motivation for swimming during swimming lessons. However, it is currently unknown how intrinsically motivating swimming lessons are in Western countries. Purpose This study examined to …
Learning how to swim in 5- to 12-year-old children
Background Swimming is widely acknowledged for its safety and health benefits. Across the world children are receiving swimming lessons in which a variety of learning methods are employed. However, little is known about the effectiveness of those methods, and a comprehensive overview of pertinent research is lacking. Such an overview is needed for both researchers and instructors seeking to improve swimming skill acquisition in children. Objectiv…
Computer Science (13 works) · Psychology (10 works) · Artificial Intelligence (7 works) · Mathematics (7 works) · Physics (7 works) · Cognitive psychology (6 works) · Motor Control and Adaptation (6 works) · Sport Psychology and Performance (6 works) · Perception (5 works) · Action Observation and Synchronization (4 works)