KIN140 Module 2

DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS PERIOD (1980-2000) 

an era of motor development research emphasizing the self-organizing properties of the motor system, focusing on the emergence of movement through the dynamic interactions of biological, environmental, and contextual factors, with change driven by the individual, demands of the task, and the surrounding environment.

INFORMATION PROCESSING PERIOD (1970-1980)

an era of motor development research emphasizing the brain as an active processor of information, examining movement behaviour through controlled laboratory experiments on simple tasks and the role of environmental factors on developmental change..

MATURATIONAL PERIOD (1928-1946)

an era of motor development research emphasizing development as an innate, biologically timed progression with research focusing on observing motor milestones and establishing developmental norms, often using longitudinal studies and twin comparisons to explore the nature vs. nurture debate.

NORMATIVE DESCRIPTIVE PERIOD (1946-1970)

an era of motor development research documenting developmental sequences, movement outcomes, and physical fitness measures in childhood, often employing cross-sectional methods to establish age-based norm-referenced tests to assess fundamental motor skills.

PRECURSOR PERIOD (1787–1928)

marks the earliest stage of motor development study, characterized by descriptive, observational research focusing on infant and child behaviour primarily documenting "what babies can do" through naturalistic observation.

AFFORDANCE

refers to the function, opportunity, or action possibilities an environmental object, surface, place, or event provides to an individual in relation to the individual’s own capabilities

BODY SCALING

process that involves using the individual’s own body proportions (intrinsic dimensions) when making movement decisions rather than extrinsic dimensions

COMPLEX SYSTEM

refers to a dynamic, nonlinear system that spontaneously adjusts or self-organizes itself when change occurs in the system

CONSTRAINT

characteristic of an individual, task, or the environment, which permits some movements to emerge while inhibiting other movements; its influence serves as a pathway for the emergence of a movement

COORDINATION

the behaviour of two or more degrees of freedom in relation to each other to produce skilled activity

DEGREES OF FREEDOM

the number of separate independent dimensions of movement in a system that must be controlled

DYNAMIC SYSTEMS THEORY

theory grounded in nonlinear systems principles that tries to explain behaviour in terms of constantly changing, self-organizing interactions between biological and environmental factors; the theory transcends to motor development, wherein movement is produced from the interaction of multiple sub-systems within the person, task and environment

DYNAMICAL PATTERN THEORY

a perspective that describes coordination as a self-organizing process of pattern formation

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSTRAINT

refers to global constraints (physical or sociocultural) related to the world outside our body, around us.

FUNCTIONAL CONSTRAINT

refers to an individual constraint that is related to one’s behaviour (e.g., fear)

INDIVIDUAL CONSTRAINT

refers to a person’s own unique mental and physical characteristics, which may be structural or functional in nature

NEWELL'S MODEL OF CONSTRAINTS

model based on the premise that emergence of a movement is a result of the dynamic interaction between individual, task, and environmental constraints

NONLINEAR CHANGE

refers to a change in a variable over time, wherein the change in the output is not proportional to the change in the input, which makes predictability in the system difficult

RATE LIMITER

constraint that restricts a movement from emerging (hinders the ability of the system to change)

SELF-ORGANIZATION

a process, wherein a more preferred movement pattern spontaneously emerges within the system as a result of the ever-changing, interaction of the system’s components

STRUCTURAL CONSTRAINT

an individual constraint that is related to physical structure of the body (e.g., height)

TASK CONSTRAINT

refers to constraints that are external to the body and consist of goals of the movement, as well as the rules and equipment use

ATTRITION

refers to a reduction in the number of research participants in a study that drop out over time

CROSS SECTIONAL RESEARCH DESIGN

refers to a research design that measures age-related developmental differences between cohorts at the same time point by observing individual/cohorts at different ages performing the same tasks at one specific moment in time

LONGITUDINAL RESEARCH DESIGN

research design that measures age-related developmental changes in an individual over time by observing the same individual/cohort performing the same tasks at repeat points across a period of time 

SELECTIVE ATTRITION

occurs in a research study when a certain group of individuals drop out of the study versus other groups

SEQUENTIAL RESEARCH DESIGN

(also called mixed longitudinal design or a cohort sequential design)

refers to a research design that measures age-related developmental changes by studying multiple age groups simultaneously at more than one time point.

example of precursor period

wathcing a child over time and documenting “what the child can do when”

• this is an example of a longitudinal research design

• produced detailed descriptive observations

maturational period

motor development is driven by a biolofical time clock

• the encironment can speed up or slow down the process but cannot change the biologically determined time course

interested in determining whether or not certain skills were detected at expected ages to identify typical or atypical development

• used assessments based on a checklist of motor milestones and fine-gross motor skills

beginning of an experimental approach to studyin gmotor development

sparked nature-nurture debate

which historical period of motor development sparked nature-nurture debate in motor development

maturational period

normative descriptive period

when field began looking at childhood, not just infancy

emphasis on examining developmental changes in children’s movements with the purpose of creating norm-referenced standardized tests to measure motor performance

major outcomes:

• created developmental sequences for gross motor skills (jumping)

• documented product of movement (jump height)

• documented the physiological changes that occur as child grows

mostly used cross-sectional studies

major outcomes of normative descriptive period

• created developmental sequences for gross motor skills (jumping)

• documented product of movement (jump height)

• documented the physiological changes that occur as child grows

information processing period was triggered by

advent of computer, brain function was compared to computer function

information processing period focuses on

• examining the cognitive processes underlying movement (attention, memory, decision-making, and feedback)

• mostly focused on simple, easily controlled movements (lifting finger to measure reaction time) while previous periods focused on complex gross motor skills

information processin period was interested in looking how…

interested in how the brain processes info to control movement

experimental design type used during information processing period

laboratory settings where independent variables are manipulated

impact of environmental factors are examined

this approach is interactional vs maturational

how dynamical systems period arose

arose in response to the limitations of the neuromaturational and information processing approaches for explaining the degrees of freedom probblem

dynamical systems period suggests and emphasizes…

suggests that coordination and control emerge as a result of the dynamic properties of the muscle collectives

suggests that chcange is stumulated by characteristics of the environment and demands of the specific task

emphasizes the importance of the dynamic and self-organizing properties of the motor system to the individual’s developing motor competencies

current period trends and areas of focus

• Major advances in technology + advent of noninvasive technology to investigate developmental change = more sophisticated tools for studying motor development = detailed measurements and analysis of movement patterns, brain activity, and physiological responses.

• An increased focus on lifespan neuroplasticity and how the nervous system adapts throughout the lifespan.

• A growing trend toward interdisciplinary collaboration, with researchers from fields working together to gain a more comprehensive understanding of motor development.

• An integration of developmental robotics = researchers create artificial systems that undergo a form of "motor development," = insights into the interaction between the body, cognition, and the environment.