earticle

영어

Although there is much research on the action observation training (AOT) to facilitate the learning process of motor skills, research efforts have commonly focused on the improvement of an upper limb’s function. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the AOT regarding the motor function of lower limbs, identifying muscle activity and performance level during vertical jumping activity. Forty young females volunteered to participate in this study. They were randomly assigned to two groups: the experimental group (EG) performed the AOT and the control group observed landscape pictures. Subjects of the EG were asked to observe video clips containing the vertical jumps, while subjects of the CG just watched video clips showing natural scenery. It took five minutes to observe each of the two video showings. Outcome measures included maximum jump height, and activities of lower limb muscles (rectus femoris, medial and lateral gastrocnemius, and gluteus maximus) while jumping. Measurements were performed before and after the intervention. The EG showed a significant increase of jump height from 20.77±4.1 cm to 23.1±4.02 cm. While jumping, the muscle activities of rectus femoris and gluteus maximus significantly increased in the EG (RF: 0.866±0.066 %MVIC [maximal voluntary isometric contraction] to 0.919±0.056 %MVIC, GM: 0.842±0.07 %MVIC to 0.904±0.048 %MVIC). These findings suggest that the AOT increases motor performance and muscle activities of lower limbs. Further studies are needed to warrant our findings.