The Overview Section

The Overview Section of the Report provides totals and averages for metrics tracked during the Activity.

If a metric is not tracked, or relevant to the movement pattern of the Activity, it will not display in the report. 

For example, the Flanker Assessment (Report shown below) consists of only directional bumpers, with no squat or jump targets, so Jump Height and Squat Depth will not be reported. 

TOTALS

• DURATION - Total time from the start of the Activity (after the 3-2-1 countdown) until the end. 
• TARGETS HIT - Total number of targets the User was able to hit.
• CALORIES - Estimated calorie expenditure, based on speed and the User's weight, height, gender, and age.
• TOTAL DISTANCE - Accumulation of distance the User traveled, tracked by center of gravity - or base of the spine.
• DECELERATION INDEX - The ratio of maximum deceleration to maximum acceleration.

AVERAGES

• REACTION TIME - Average time it took the User to move in response to the visual stimuli - prompt presentation. Measured from the time the prompt appeared in the simulation, until the User's purposeful response, a body mass movement 20 cm.
• DYNAMIC REACTION TIME - Average time it took the User to move correctly in response to the visual stimuli - prompt presentation. Measured from the time the prompt appeared in the simulation, until the User's purposeful response in the direction of the target, a body mass movement 20 cm.
• SPEED - Average rate the User moved.
• ACCELERATION - Average rate at which the User increased their speed.
• DECELERATION - Average rate at which the User decreased their speed.
• JUMP HEIGHT - Average height the User jumped, measured from pelvic height during calibration.
• SQUAT DEPTH - Average depth the User squatted, measured from pelvic height during calibration.

Interpreting the Overview

Let's consider the requirements of the Activity before we dive in to the Report. The Flanker Assessment is a volume-based Activity, meaning the Activity ends after the number of targets are reached (or the Activity is exited manually). This Assessment is 20 targets, where the User must make a decision to correctly answer the cognitive prompt and move to either a left or right target. 

Understanding whether the Activity is time-based or volume-based helps clarify the value of Duration and Targets Hit. Here, it took the User 1 minute and 45 seconds to complete 20 targets. This is a good measurement to monitor while comparing progression over time. The next time this User completes this Activity, ask: Were they able to achieve 20 targets in less amount of time? And if they did, did they compromise their efficiency? Did they travel a greater distance this time? Did all the other metrics improve as well or did they sacrifice efficiency and symmetry to achieve a greater speed? And conversely, for a time-based Activity, we can consider the number of Targets Hit for progression over time.

Total Distance provides insight into the accumulated distance the User traveled. Here, the User moved 132.2 feet in total.

Pro Tip: This may be easier in some Activities, such as this one, to think about what the Minimum Total Distance should have been. For example, the grid size is 6 feet wide. The distance from the center cue to a target is 3 feet, then 3 feet back to center. So for 20 targets, the minimum distance would be 120 feet. This means the User covered more distance than what was required, which could have been due to moving too fast causing them to overshoot the target location. The issue might also be a lack of proprioception resulting in their inability to effectively hit the target. 

The Deceleration Index is a critical construct used to compare the User's ability to start vs stop. Let's consider a car analogy. We're testing the brakes. Is the engine so powerful that the brakes cannot properly stop the vehicle? This construct provides the ratio between the User's maximum deceleration and maximum acceleration. A result of 1 indicates they can accelerate and decelerate at the same rate. Less than 1, indicates they can accelerate at a faster rate than they can decelerate. Above 1, indicates they can decelerate faster than they can accelerate. This User's Deceleration Index was 1.02, indicating symmetry between maximum deceleration and acceleration. 

Now to the averages. 

Reaction Time (RT) and Dynamic Reaction Time (DRT) measure the time it takes the User to initiate movement once the stimulus (prompt) appears. The difference between the two is that RT measures a movement response when the User moves in any direction, but the DRT measures a movement response when the User moves in the direction of the target they satisfy. When they are the same, this means the User reacted appropriately and controlled, without any directional errors or change of direction. When the DRT is higher, the User may have tried to anticipate the target location and the initial movement was not in the path of the target. In the above example, the User's average RT was 1.43 seconds and the DRT was 1.53, meaning there was some difference between the User's RT or "knee-jerk" reaction and their DRT or appropriate reaction. 

Speed, Acceleration, and Deceleration all measure the rate the User moved. Speed is the average rate of all movement. Acceleration is the increase in Speed, and Deceleration is the decrease in Speed. Speed is directly influenced by Acceleration and Deceleration. Considering the size of the space in which the User is moving, it's important to note that the top speed reached in TRAZER will likely not be the same as the speed an individual could achieve in a sprint. It's also important to note that the averages presented are much different than the Deceleration Index, which looks at maximum output, not an average over the course of an Activity. Proprioception - or spatial awareness - plays a large part in these metrics. If the User cannot efficiently hit the target and takes extra time to navigate to satisfy it, these metrics will be affected. 

Heart Rate will display the average heart rate during the Activity when a heart rate monitoring device is worn and paired with the application. 

The Cognitive Section

The Cognitive Section details the User's ability to solve and complete the task required. It measures their performance in decision-making and their accuracy in doing so in two categories, Responses and Reaction Time. Data in this section is segmented by the cognitive prompts presented in the Activity. 

The cognitive prompt can either be congruent or incongruent.

• Congruent prompts match and usually take less time to process. 
• Incongruent prompts are mismatched, and are more complex to resolve.

For example, the Flanker Assessment utilizes symbols for the cognitive prompt. A set of 5 arrows will appear and the User must respond in the direction of the center arrow. 

 >  >  >  >  > 

This prompt would be congruent, as the arrows all point in the same direction and is less of a cognitive load to to process. The User must move to the target to the right to be correct.

<  <  >  >  <

This prompt would be incongruent, as the arrows are pointing in differing directions, creating a more complex cognitive task. The User must satisfy the target to the right to be correct. 

The Responses tab of the Cognitive section details the User's Response Accuracy and Response Time, based on the prompts.

The Response Accuracy section compares the User's responses to the correct responses of the prompts presented. 

In the above example the User was presented with 10 congruent prompts, 5 would be solved correctly to the left and 5 to the right. If they responded incorrectly, the number will be displayed in the row labeled Incorrect, which is what we see in the Incongruent column. The User was presented with 10 incongruent prompts, 5 correct answers on the left and 5 to the right, but 1 was answered incorrectly, which means they chose the target to the left. We can see this reflected in the Response Time section below.

Response Time details the interval of time between stimulus presentation and the completion of the response - hitting a target. This time is all-encompassing of the User's ability to see the stimulus, process the prompt, make a decision and react, and use their proprioception to move to the target location.

Here, the average times are displayed in the direction the User actually moved, in contrast to the Response Accuracy above, how they should have moved. The User in this example moved to the left target faster than they moved to the right target. The Difference column displays the difference between the directions as well as a percentage of difference with an L or R to indicate the deficient side. Often, the times for Incongruent prompts are higher, due to the more complex cognitive load. This can be seen clearly in the Reaction Time tab.

The Reaction Time tab uses the same layout to analyze the User's Reaction Time and Dynamic Reaction Time averages. 

The User in this example reacted quicker to the left target than they did to targets on the right, and slower to Incongruent prompts. 

Comparing the User's Reaction Time - initiation of response in any direction - to their Dynamic Reaction Time - initiation of response in the direction of the target satisfied - provides insights into the User's decision-making. 

Examining the Congruent column reveals that the User maintained an average Reaction Time (RT) and Dynamic Reaction Time (DRT) of 1.22s for left targets. This indicates that the User confidently chose a target and stuck to their decision. However, when it came to right targets, the RT was 1.52s and the DRT increased to 1.71s, suggesting that the User might have initially reacted in one direction before adjusting course to respond in the opposite direction.

The Symmetry Section

Symmetry in human movement is when both sides of our body move in a balanced and coordinated way. It is important because it helps us move efficiently and effectively. When we have good symmetry, we can perform tasks with less effort and reduce the risk of injury. Symmetry also allows us to have better control and coordination over our movements. Symmetry in human movement is crucial for our overall physical performance and well-being.

The Symmetry section breaks down movement patterns with directional differences for key metrics: Reaction Time (RT), Dynamic Reaction Time (DRT), Speed, Acceleration, and Deceleration. Each metric has a tab for review.

The left hand side lists all directions in which the User moved during the Activity, with the average metric for each. 

Similarly, if the User is positioned at the front right corner and a target appears at the back left, their movement would be described as moving BACKWARDS LEFT, coincidentally leading them to the back left corner.
This provides the most accurate measure of movement pattern analysis.

At the bottom of the list, the difference between directions is reported in a color code, which is why the symmetry section is also known as the "Stop Light Report".

In the example above, the User's Reaction Time to the right was 1.6 seconds and 1.34 to the left. Meaning, they reacted faster to the left. With Reaction Time, lower is better - so the deficient side is the right, by 16.5%. This difference is displayed in yellow indicating a moderate asymmetry. 

The right side of the screen graphs the metric by direction to visualize the differences. We can see the right side is further extended, at 1.6, and the left stops just past the 1.28 line. This visual can assist the User in understanding the asymmetry of their movement.

Now that we've identified an asymmetry in the Reaction Time tab, we need to check the remaining metrics for asymmetry as well. 

The Dynamic Reaction Time Symmetry tab displays a red color-coded significant asymmetry: 23.38% R. This indicates the User reacted slower to the right side by 23.38%. 

The Speed tab displays a green color-coded asymmetry of 5.15% R. Though the asymmetry is less than 10%, we are seeing consistency in right side deficiency. 

In the Acceleration tab, again, a minor deficiency to the right, colored green. 

Deceleration is color-coded green, a minor 6.1% difference, again, with a right side deficiency. 

Now that we've identified significant asymmetry in Dynamic Reaction Time, a moderate asymmetry in Reaction Time, and a consistent deficiency to the right side, let's explore the Timeline section to view the changes in these metrics over the course of the Activity.

The Timeline Section

The Timeline Section of the Report provides data regarding the changes in the User's performance over the duration of the Activity, broken into subsections for each key metric: Reaction Time, Dynamic Reaction Time, Speed, Acceleration, Deceleration, and Heart Rate.

Throughout the Activity, at intervals of 0.5 and 10 seconds, data is accumulated and averaged. The interval display can be switched between these two options by clicking the toggle at the bottom left of the screen.

The left side of the screen lists data for the selected metric. Keep in mind that these will change based on the selected interval, due to the amount of data averaged.

• Start - an average of the first interval
• Min - the lowest recorded data point interval
• Max - the highest recorded data point interval
• Average - the average of all recorded data intervals
• End - an average of the last interval

The graph on the right charts a data point for an average of the metric at the selected interval (either 10 seconds or 0.5 seconds) over the course of the Activity.  The x-axis (horizontal) is the duration in seconds and the y-axis (vertical) is the metric value. (Click and drag the graph to scroll to the right.)

This information is essential in determining a User's endurance and consistency. 

Here, it's important to consider the varying metrics.

With Reaction Time and Dynamic Reaction Time, a lower number is better, so if the line trends up, a decline in performance and/or fatigue can be observed.

With Speed, Acceleration, and Deceleration, a higher number is usually better, so if the line trends down, a decline in performance and/or fatigue can be observed.

The Timeline section provides time-based insights into each measurement and the Reps section provides insights into the metrics for each task.

Let's continue to the Reps section.

The Reps Section

The Reps section provides objective data for each movement pattern performed in the Activity. It serves as a valuable tool for identifying patterns of consistency or inconsistency or outliers across the reps.

In Neuromechanics Activities, a "rep" is each movement pattern, from center to a target and back to center.  That is one rep. Red return-to-center targets mark the end of each rep in all Assessments. 

The Table view lists the measurements of each rep. In the example above, we can see many of these metrics varying between each rep. (Click and drag the table to view the rest of the reps.)

The Graph view presents the changes between reps  through a chart for each metric. Each rep is listed on the x axis along the bottom and the corresponding data point is plotted on the y axis. Click each metric tab to view its analysis.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Consistency is Key.

Carefully monitor the amount of variance between reps to identify any significant outliers. 

By closely examining the graph or table view, you can easily observe and understand the patterns and trends that emerge. Look for any significant deviations or inconsistencies that may indicate areas of improvement or potential issues.

In the image provided above, we can clearly observe an anomaly in Distance Traveled. Distance is a great way to monitor proprioception and movement efficiency when the movement pattern calls for equal directional movement. In this Activity, every rep is the same distance to the left or right. In Rep 7, the User traveled more distance to the target, indicating either a change of direction or lack of spatial awareness and difficulty hitting the target. 

The History Section

The History tab illustrates the User’s progression or degradation over time, each metric is displayed in a separate tab.

The left side lists the User's historical record with this specific Activity along with the metrics for each. 

The right side plots each value on a graph to display progression.

When the circle on the graph is filled, this indicates that the test was completed, while an unfilled circle indicates partial completion.

This is a great way to show a User their progress as well as to clearly illustrate where deficiencies exist and/or where they have room for greater improvement.