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Mechanisms of Change
Mechanisms of Change (MoC)

Photo: Wohlfahrt/UHH

Health and Performance

The Institute of Human Movement Science at the University of Hamburg contributes to this initiative by focusing on the newly emerging third pillar Health & Performance. Through an interdisciplinary perspective, this pillar examines the complex interplay between physical activity and sports engagement on the one hand, and health, personality, and social factors on the other. These are examined across different time periods and settings—ranging from short-term dynamics within a single behavioral episode to long-term developments over the entire lifespan. This approach helps the MoC-initiative to better understand (and positively influence) changes in human systems in the context of sports and physical activity.

The Health & Performance pillar focuses on the dynamics of human action control in the context of movement, play, and sports(-culture) from a performance-oriented perspective. Here, performance is understood as a dynamic process that is measured with high resolution and a multidimensional approach, extending beyond the traditional concept of peak athletic performance as a mere "outcome." For example, research investigates basic motor skill competencies in children in real-world settings, laboratory-measured strength and endurance performance in the general population, as well as in clinical and elite sports samples. Through this broader concept of performance, the measurement of specific performance episodes serves as a direct indicator for better understanding the mechanisms of changes in psychological and physical health.

A methodological goal of this research is the interdisciplinary combination of physiological, psychological, and neuroscientific laboratory measurements with field research approaches in various populations (e.g., children, adolescents, individuals with low sports affinity) and contexts (e.g., challenging social environments). To support this, infrastructure has been expanded in the past year, including the establishment of new laboratories and the strengthening of interdisciplinary exchange through cross-disciplinary colloquia and lab meetings.

One example of such a research collaboration is the partnership between the Dynamics of Human Performance Regulation Lab (DHPRlab) and the Science and Transfer Center Active City. Together, they examine how cognitive and physical performance parameters dynamically interact during childhood and adolescence, utilizing extensive data collected in Hamburg. Additionally, they investigate how effort preferences measured in the lab can explain the development of these performance parameters in micro-contexts, based on laboratory experimental studies.

Other current topics within the Health & Performance pillar of the MoC-initiative at the Institute of Human Movement Science are for example:

  • As part of empirical educational research in sports science, structures, processes, and outcomes in educational institutions are examined in-, as well as outside the school context.
    • In the context of outcome research, the BMBF-funded digital competence center for motor skills (MOBAK-DigiKo) enables (prospective) teachers, through a blended learning format, to use app-based diagnostics and promotion of fundamental motor skills that facilitate participation in movement, play, and sports culture.
    • With respect to process research, the ERASMUS+ project QualiTePE developed a shared framework for teaching quality in physical education across ten European countries, identifying key characteristics of high-quality physical education. Building on this, the digital QualiTePE evaluation tool was created to enable formative evaluation of teaching quality in transfer and exchange formats.
  • Most project areas from the Department of Movement Science and Exercise Physiology are closely linked to the MoC pillar Health & Performance. They address not only physiological but also cognitive changes due to intervention as well as maturation and aging processes. Current topics of the Department of Movement Science and Exercise Physiology are:
    • analysis of sensorimotor control
    • running gait analysis in rehabilitation, prevention, and performance
    • injury risk analysis, falls, and overtraining (including stress and recovery monitoring)
    • development and evaluation of training and prevention measures. 
  • In DHPRlab, the overarching research interest is on the dynamics of human performance regulation in sports and other performance contexts. To investigate these dynamics, DHPRlab draws on theories and concepts from motivation, volition, and emotion research, as well as a diverse set of methods from psychology, physiology, and neuroscience. These topics and methods are naturally closely linked to the MoC pillar "Health & Performance." Current topics in this area include, for example:
    • Research topics: Boredom in the context of health and performance; Specificity vs. generalization of effort preferences and costs; dynamics in the alignment of subjective effort and objective performance; Exploration-exploitation in the context of sports and physical activity; integration of effort and time costs into sports-related decision-making processes.
    • Research project: As part of the German Research Foundation (DFG) project "Boredom and Self-Control as Orientation Signals for Goal-Directed Behavior: A New Approach to the Ego Depletion Effect," DHPRlab investigates the dynamics of effort and boredom perception during physical and cognitive tasks. Understanding these dynamics aims to contribute to a better comprehension of performance regulation processes.
    • Editorial work: Publication of a special issue on "Dynamics of Boredom" in the journal Humanities & Social Sciences Communications in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Corinna Martarelli (Swiss Distance University Institute). The goal of this special issue is to improve the understanding of how boredom arises, how it interacts with various factors, and how it dynamically influences human action regulation.
    • Third Mission: Communicating research from the institute on MoC topics in popular science media, such as DER SPIEGEL, DEIN SPIEGEL, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Die ZEIT, or ARTE.

Through these diverse research activities, the Institute of Human Movement Science makes a significant contribution to understanding the dynamics of health and performance, thereby supporting the overarching goals of the MoC initiative.