Test 1

Skill

an ability acquired by training
-movements that make them up are adaptable to environment

Cognitive skills:

knowledge + mental ability (math, sudoku)

Perceptual skills

ability to recognize/discriminate (colors on traffic light in different areas, memory)

Motor skills

quality of movement
-require voluntary control (joints/body parts) to achieve a goal
-need to learned/relearned
-evaluated in terms of outcome
(ex. running, crawling, sitting)

Reflexes

-involuntary
-happen way faster than skills
(ex. blink, looking at object while eyes stay forward, changes in pupils, coughing/sneezing due to irritation in nasal passages)

Abilities

-Relatively stable/enduring trait (genetically inherited/developed during growth/maturation)
-not easily modifiable by practice/experience
-underline motor skills
(ex. reaction time, hand-eye coordination, dexterity)

Movements

-parts of a skill that are observable + measurable
-evaluated in terms of how they're produced
(ex. lifting arm above head,

Influences on Motor Skills

-Individual
-Task/Skill
-Environment

Individual

-previous skill lvl
-psychological characteristics
-bodily constraints
- age + development readiness

Task/Skill

-performed alone/ w/ others
-speed/perceptual demands
-equipment
-rules constraining action

Environment

-practice vs performance (location)
-stable/varying conditions
-observers/other perceptual elements
-constraints on movement possibilities

Motor Skills

humans can learn them

Movements

humans can't learn them

Many-to-one

-variety of movements that can accomplish the same action goal
(ex. 3 ways to throw a ball, walk/run up the stairs to class)

One-to-many

-1 movement pattern could be used to achieve many different action goals
(ex. front crawl w/ goals: swim length, improve endurance)

Maximum certainty of goal attaintment

Consecutive success (unable to hit/score goal)

Minimum energy expenditure

(waste): less physical and mental exertion required

Minimum movement time

Performance increases w/ reduced time to execute
(ex. stacking cups)

Maximum adaptability

ability to achieve task goals under a variety of settings
(ex. walking on different surfaces)

Motor equivalence

ability to complete tasks under different conditions/situations
(ex. writing on paper vs chalkboard, writing w/ diff body parts)

Motor variability

natural variation -> posture, movements, muscle activity (motor performance)
- "repetition without repetition"
-never perform the task same 2 ways in a row

Motor consistency

-applying unchanging movement boundaries to an action to achieve a goal

Motor modifiability

Ability to modify movement pattern, even during execution
-don't have to carry out until the end/change during movement

Key challenge for degrees of Freedom

multiple ways to perform a movement to achieve the same goal, meaning the brain has an infinite amount of actions courses to choose from

Degrees of freedom

# of individual components in a system and # of ways each component can vary

1D classifications

-Size
-Temporal
-Staibility

Size of musculature

(movement precision)
Fine (Small) -> Gross (Large)

Temporal predictability

(where task begins/ends)
Discrete (squat/snapping) -> Continuous (running/walking)
Discrete (playing a piano piece on the piano) -(serial)-> Continuous (driving)

Stability of the environment

(supporting surfaces, objects needed, other ppl/animals)
Closed (nothing in motion, free throw, penalty) -> Open (a lot moving, boxing another person, water polo)

1D systems

don't always capture complete complexity of many skills that a practitioner must take into account when making decisions: instruction, practice routine + therapy regiment