Motivation for Active Living Laboratory
The Motivation for Active Living Laboratory (MALL) is relocating to a new space at the Center for Kinesiology, Health, and Sport. Within the MALL, social science researchers in the Faculty of KHS collaborate on issues related to physical activity, its promotion, and its management in such contexts as sport, physical education, recreation, dance, and health. Associate members of the MALL represent a variety of disciplines and academic institutions (e.g., the University of Calgary, the University of Saskatchewan, The Ohio State University). Current investigations are being conducted in the areas of sport officiating, body checking in Atom-aged ice hockey, physical activity programs in elementary schools, and cardiac rehabilitation. The research is supported by grants from a variety of sources such as Hockey Canada and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
The Sport Psychology Laboratory is a new laboratory at KHS and this is a joint project of the Canadian Sport Centre, Saskatchewan, the Sport Medicine and Science Council of Saskatchewan, and the Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies at the University of Regina. The Sport Psychology Laboratory houses equipment for academic research and applied service for athletes and coaches. The Peak Achievement Trainer (PAT) is a state-of the art piece of equipment that uses neurofeedback to train concentration, alertness, and relaxation, which are needed to achieve peak performance. The Play Attention Learning System (PALS) was developed to train the brain to pay attention and focus. It guides the user through a series of video game exercises that are controlled by the user's mind. The Alpha Chair is used as a relaxation/energizing system. With a surround sound system built-in, the chair is a safe, quiet place where users can obtain an ideal state of relaxation or energy, at which point they can work on various mental skills and techniques (i.e., mental imagery and enhanced concentration). Working alongside the Motivation for Active Living Laboratory (Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies), the Sport Psychology Laboratory will also provide researchers with a venue to examine various training techniques to enhance athletes' sport performance.