KAAP428 - Fundamental Definitions and Characteristics of Motor Control and Learning, Error and Feedback Control (Section 1: Fundamentals of Sensorimotor Control), Lecture #1 & #2

Motor Control

Understanding how the neuromuscular system functions to activate and coordinate the muscles and limbs involved in the performance of a motor skill

Coordination

The patterning of body and limb motions relative to each other and to the environmental objects and events

Motor Learning

Study of the processes involved in acquiring and refining motor skills that promote or inhibit that acquisition

Motor Behavior

Behavior that involves exerting muscular forces that affect the limbs or other body parts

Goal-Directed Motor Behavior

Movements producing a particular outcome despite the presence of obstructions or changing conditions

Skill

An action or task that has a specific goal to achieve

3 Requirements for an Activity to be a Skill

1) Is directed toward the attainment of a goal

2) Is performed voluntarily

3) Has been acquired by experience/practice

Motor Skill

Requires voluntary body/limb movement

3 Criteria of Skills

1) Adaptable

2) Consistent

3) Efficient

Movements

Behavioral characteristics of specific limb(s) that are components of a skill (building blocks of a skill)

What is a One-Dimensional Continuum? And what do you use it to classify?

A range between two "ends" on a given variable; We use it to classify skills, skills do not fit into one box and have high variation across many variables.

Classification 1

Size of Musculature Used

Gross movement

Use large musculature: involve less movement precision, fundamental motor skills (jumping, locomotion, etc ... )

Fine movement

Requires control of small muscles: hand-eye coordination (writing, typing, sewing, etc.)

Classification 2

Type of Movement

Discrete Movements

Have a clearly specified beginning and end (e.g., hitting a switch)

Serial Movements

Involves a series of discrete movements (e.g., playing a piano, hammering a nail, typing on a laptop)

Continuous Movements

Have an arbitrary start and end (e.g., swimming, cycling)

Classification 3

Motor-Cognitive Dimension

Low Cognitive Demand

Actions are automatic, with little thinking about task required (e.g., walking)

High Cognitive Demand

The motor component is less significant than the cognitive element (e.g., playing chess, crossword puzzle)

Classification 4

Stability of the environment

Environment

The characteristics of objects/people the skill is performed with

Closed Environment

Environment does not change while performing teh skill. These tend to be "self-paced"; object "waits for your action" (e.g., freethrow in basketball, once ball hits the hoop everyone can move again)

Open Environment

Environment is changing during performance of the skil. These are usually not "self-paced", they require constant adjustments (e.g., layup, players around you are constantly adjusting)

Ability

A stable trait or capacity of the individual that is a determinant of a person's potential for the performance of a specific skill (hardware people bring to a task, generally thought to be hereditary/genetically determined and largely unmodified by experience)

How do abilities contribute to skills?

Body type, cultural background, emotional make-up

Characteristics of Abilities

Stable

Inherited traits

Few in number

Underlie performance of many skills

Characteristics of Skills

Modified by practice

Developed

Many in number

Depend on different subsets of abilities

Discrete Action

A motor action in which the goal outcome is achieved by executing just one goal-directed action and has clearly identifiable start and end points

Motor Fit

Achieving the same motor outcome despite different circumstances (e.g., picking up a pen, opening a door)

Motor Equivalence

Equality of outcome of two or more movements, movement patterns, or muscle contractions that may be different in other respects (different motor patterns that can produce the same outcome)

Adaptation (adaptability)

The ability to change motor behavior depending on circumstances (e.g., walking on sand vs. walking through snow)

Voluntary Motor Control

Goal-directed, conscious intention, the person is aware of having the choice to make the movement

Involuntary Motor Control

Not voluntary, not goal-directed, no conscious effort, person is not aware of making teh choice to make a movement (e.g., blinking)

Hypokinetic Disorder

Too little movement

Characteristic of parkinson's disease

Loss of dopamine neurons in the Substantia Nigra (SN, part of the basal ganglia)

Hyperkinetic Disorder

Too much movement

Huntington's Disease

Genetic neurodegenerative disorder characterized by lack of coordination and dance-like movements

Movement Error

When what we PLAN and what we DO do not align. The difference between the desired action and the actual performance.

Internal Model

The preprogrammed basis of movement contained in the brain and thought to "live" in the cerebellum.

Open-Loop Control

Commands are preset, we have to wait until the next movement to make a correction (e.g. throwing a dart at a dart board)

Closed-Loop Control

Uses feedback to continue to improve movement, we can make corrections to movements along the way, purpose of using feedback is to reduce errors as much as possible (e.g., thermostat in house, driving a car)

Disturbances

Inputs external to the control system could affect the controlled variable (s) and produce errors (e.g., getting your elbow bumped)

Controller Mistakes

The controller could make a change in the control variable when it is not needed, or response to an error with an inappropriate change of the control variable (e.g., suitcase example)

Changes to the Requirements

If the required value of the controlled variable changes, an error is likely to be created (e.g., biking on dry and then suddenly slick road)

A golf drive is a ______________ motor skill.

closed (e.g., object waits for us to hit it, different from closed loop)