Unit 1(A) - Introduction to Motor Development and Research Methods

Bayley Scale

charts progress of motor development in infants and toddlers

1946-1970

describing observed motor movements in children and norm referenced comparative research

1970-1989

Process oriented period

• ↑ intrest in the process behind motor movements (the why?)

1981-2000

Dynamical systems period

• body = various systems that organize itself and form patterns of behaviour movement being governed and constraint inflected by task and environment in question

2000-present

Translational research into practice

• target areas of intrest

  • 1) motor movements and needs of people w/disabilities or movement restrictions

  • 2) Brain-behaviour

  • 3) epigenetics

  • 4) developmental health factors

  • 5) continued improvement in means of assesment

Brain-behaviour

examine brain function during movement activities

epigenetics

changes in gene expression based on environmental influences

Lifespan Perspective (new perspective)

• Provides opportunity to observe a multitude of factors that affect how we move

  • ie: very old and very young have similar patterns of behaviour but DON’T have same cause because they are cognitively distinct

• This new perspective comes because the old perspective assumes that we reach our developmental peak in late teens/early adulthood and once that peak is reached everything else stops

5 major objectives of Motor development specialists

1) Determine common changes in behaviour, function and appearance across lifespan

2) establish WHEN those changes occur

3) describe WHAT causes these changes

4) determine whether changes can be PREDICTED

5) determine whether these changes are unique or universal

Physical Growth

An ↑ in the structure of body caused by multiplication (hyperplasia) or enlargement (hypertrophy) of cells

• quantitative

• accretion = ↑ in intercellular substance

• period = conception → around 22

Development

1) continuous process of change in functional capacity

2) related to age

3) sequential change (predictable patterns)

4) continues after physical maturity has been reached

• biological or behavioural

• quantitative (physical measurable change) or qualitative (changes in behaviour or attitude)

Motor Development

development of movement or observable action that is sequential and continues throughout a persons life

Maturation

Tempo and timing of progress toward mature biological age

• qualitative changes that enable ↑ in levels of functioning

• varies system to system (ie: system advancement not just size increase)

• Innate (predetermined and has genetic influences)

• Has a FIXED order of progression BUT pace may vary

Learning

Relatively permanent change in performance resulting from practice or past experience

• NOT related and cannot be observed directly and therefore frorces inferences

Motor Learning

Deals with learning that involves body movement

Motor learning VS Motor development

Motor learning

Looks at present behaviour in isolation

• here and now

Motor Development

Observes how behaviour has evolved from past→present→future

• constant continuum of change

What is the behaviour like now and why?

depicts motor learning AND motor development

What was the behaviour like before and why?

depicts motor development

How is the behaviour going to change in the future and why?

motor development

Aging

Process of getting older regardless of chronological age

• physical aging

• 2 categories

  • 1) chronological age

  • 2) Biological age

Physical aging

slow, gradual and continual change of entire organism

Chronological age

• “counting up of birthdays”

• most common, but least accurate

Biological Age

4 determinants

• Morphological age

• Skeletal age

• dental age

• sexual age

Morphological age

comparison of high and weight to normative standards

skeletal age

use x-ray to determine age; measures extent to which bone ossification has taken place

• rarely used

dental age

determined by attachment of first appearance of sexual characteristics

Stages (phase/time/level)

Particular time in life of a human being that is characteristic by unique behaviours

Stage requirements

• qualitative change

• hierarchical integration

• Consolidation process

• Intransitive

• Behavioural inconsistency

• structural wholeness

• Horizontal decaloge

Qualitative change

see a new behaviour previously unobserved

Hierarchical Integration

one stage builds upon another

consolidation process

behaviours emerge and gradually mix with past behaviours until regression is virtually impossible

Intransitive

one stage leads to another and have to occur in pre-determined chronological order

Behavioural inconsistency

one notes behavioural changes and inconsistencies in moving onto a new stage

Structural Wholeness

all behaviours within a stage combine in organized fashion to form one general behaviour type

Horizontal Decolage

time lag the thought patterns related to preforming a new behaviour and the actual physical performance