Motor Development: Fundamentals, Theoretical Perspectives, and Motion & Stability

Practice flashcards based on the lecture notes covering Chapters 1-3; topics include motor development concepts, constraint theory, research designs, theoretical perspectives, and motion & stability principles.

What are the defining characteristics of motor development?

Change in movement behavior that is continuous, age-related, and sequential, and depends on underlying processes.

How is motor learning distinct from motor control?

Motor learning refers to relatively permanent gains in motor skill from practice or experience; motor control concerns neural, physical, and behavioral aspects of movement.

physical growth

Quantitative increase in size or body mass.

What is physical maturation?

Qualitative advance in biological makeup; development of cells, organs, or systems; biochemical composition changes.

aging

Process over time leading to loss of adaptability or function and eventually to death.

Which phenomena should be compared with motor development to identify similarities and differences?

Motor learning, motor control, physical growth, and maturation.

What are the four categories in Newell's model of constraints?

Individual structural constraints, individual functional constraints, environmental constraints, and task constraints.

What are structural (individual) constraints?

Internal body-related characteristics like height and muscle mass.

What are functional (individual) constraints?

Behavioral functions such as attention and motivation.

environmental constraints that are physical

External environmental properties like gravity and surface characteristics.

environmental constraints that are sociocultural

Cultural norms and gender roles that influence movement.

What are task constraints?

Specific task requirements, goals, rules, and equipment not related to the individual.

What is meant by the interaction of constraints?

Researchers must identify and examine how individual, environmental, and task constraints interact to shape movement.

What is a longitudinal research design?

An individual or group is observed over time, which can require lengthy observation.

What is a cross-sectional research design?

Different ages or groups are observed at one time, allowing change to be inferred rather than directly observed.

What is a sequential (mixed longitudinal) design?

Mini-longitudinal studies with overlapping ages to approximate development over time.

What is universality in development?

Great similarity in development across individuals within a species.

What is variability in development?

Individual differences exist among people in their development.

What are the three theoretical perspectives introduced in Chapter 2?

Maturational perspective, information processing perspective, and ecological perspective.

What characterizes the maturational perspective?

Motor development is driven by maturation of bodily systems, especially the CNS, with minimal environmental influence; development is qualitative and discontinuous.

Who were key figures in the maturational perspective?

Gesell and McGraw (1930s), noted for invariable genetic development sequences and co-twin control studies.

What descriptive methodologies did maturational theorists use from 1940–1970s?

Normative quantitative scores describing average performance and biomechanical descriptions of movement patterns.

What is the core idea of the information processing perspective?

Motor development is driven by external processes; the brain functions like a computer with input, encoding, processing, and feedback.

What is perceptual-motor development?

A subfield within information processing linking perceptual-motor development to learning disabilities; early work explored this link in the 1960s.

What is the ecological perspective?

Development driven by the interrelationship of the individual, environment, and task; includes dynamical systems and perception–action branches.

What are dynamical systems in motor development?

Body systems self-organize and interact with the environment and task; development can be qualitative and discontinuous and spans the lifespan.

What is the perception–action approach?

Based on Gibson; affordances are the action possibilities objects provide, defined by the individual's body-scaled dimensions rather than the object's extrinsic properties.

What does the ecological perspective say about CNS control?

CNS is not the sole executive; control is distributed across the body and levels of organization.

Why is an ecological perspective valuable for research?

It allows new types of experiments and broader ways of thinking about movement.

What is the overall takeaway about theoretical perspectives in motor development?

Different perspectives illuminate different aspects; using multiple perspectives provides a fuller understanding, with the ecological perspective now widely used.

What are the two principles of motion and stability within biomechanics?

Motion and stability are principles within biomechanics that govern how individuals interact with the environment during task performance.

What does it mean that developmental changes are predictable?

Changes follow biomechanical principles and can be observed across various motor skills, often yielding more force, velocity, or accuracy.

What is Newton's First Law?

An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion until acted upon by a force; inertia relates to mass; momentum = mass × velocity.

What must be understood about inertia when swinging a bat?

Inertia resists changes in motion; momentum depends on mass and velocity.

How can an object be moved farther or faster according to impulse ideas?

Increase the force applied or increase the distance over which the force is applied.

What does Newton's Second Law state?

F = m a; acceleration is proportional to force and inversely proportional to mass.

How can you increase acceleration when you have a fixed peak force?

By optimizing how the force is applied (technique) to increase acceleration within the same force limit.

What does Newton's Third Law state?

To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

oppositional movements

Movements that oppose the desired direction to generate greater force in the target direction.

Why should force be applied in the primary movement plane?

To maximize force in the desired plane; avoid rotational movements that reduce force in the plane of motion.

How can you increase velocity of limbs or projected objects?

Increase rotational velocity and/or increase the effective length by fully extending at release.

Why not keep a limb extended throughout a movement?

An extended limb has higher rotational inertia, which can reduce velocity.

What does the Force and Time concept imply?

To move, increase force over a given time; to stop, increase the time over which the force is applied.

What developmental skill involves learning to absorb force?

Absorbing force during impact, such as proper landing mechanics.

the difference between stability and balance

Stability is the ability to resist movement; balance is the ability to maintain equilibrium; they involve a stability–mobility trade-off.

How can stability be increased?

Increase the base of support and lower the center of gravity.

How can balance be improved?

Improve strength, coordination, and proprioception.

What is the practical takeaway from Chapter 3?

Motion and stability are biomechanics principles that guide movement; understanding them improves control and performance, with stability and balance being key mechanical principles.