Human Growth & Motor Development – Final Exam Review (Ch. 7, 9-14)

Vocabulary flashcards summarizing key terms and definitions across perception, motor development, assessment, and sociocultural chapters for KINS 2280 final review.

Attention

Focalized, concentrated, conscious mental effort that is limited and serial in nature.

Alertness

Preparatory state of the nervous system, commonly assessed by reaction time.

Reaction Time (RT)

Interval between stimulus onset and initiation of a motor response; basic measure of processing speed.

Simple Reaction Time

RT situation involving only one stimulus and one response option.

Choice Reaction Time

RT situation with multiple possible stimuli and corresponding responses.

Movement Time (MT)

Interval from initiation to completion of a motor response.

Divided Attention

Ability to concentrate on more than one activity simultaneously; limited by shared processing resources.

Dual-Task Paradigm

Experimental method used to study divided attention by having participants perform two tasks concurrently.

Selective Attention

Capacity to attend to relevant information while ignoring distractions, e.g., cocktail-party phenomenon.

Recognition Memory

Noticing whether a present stimulus matches one encountered previously.

Recall Memory

Remembering a stimulus that is not currently present; more advanced than recognition.

Short-Term (Working) Memory

Temporary storage lasting ≈30 s with capacity of 7 ± 2 items; aided by chunking.

Long-Term Memory

Relatively permanent store with unlimited capacity and duration.

Explicit Memory

Conscious recollection of past events that requires deliberate retrieval.

Implicit Memory

Unconscious, automatic memory for skills and routines such as riding a bike.

Processing Speed

Rate at which the nervous system handles information; often indexed by RT.

Fitts’s Law

Principle stating that speed and accuracy of movements trade off proportionally to task difficulty.

Hick’s Law

Relationship showing RT increases logarithmically with the number of stimulus–response alternatives.

Perception-Action Coupling

Continuous interaction in which perception guides movement and movement refines perception.

Psychomotor Slowing

Age-related decline in processing speed and movement time.

Motor Competence

Actual ability to perform various motor skills proficiently.

Perceived Motor Competence

Individual’s self-belief regarding their capability to perform motor tasks.

Fundamental Movement Skills

Basic locomotor, non-locomotor, and manipulative actions developed in early childhood.

Locomotor Skills

Movements that transport the body, e.g., walking, running, jumping.

Non-Locomotor Skills

Axial movements with minimal base-of-support change, e.g., bending, twisting.

Manipulative Skills

Fine or gross actions that control objects with hands or feet, e.g., throwing, kicking.

Composite (Total-Body) Approach

Assessment method using whole-body stage sequences to evaluate movement development.

Component Approach

Assessment method that scores separate body parts or sub-stages within a movement pattern.

Jumping

Locomotor skill projecting the body into air and landing on one or both feet.

Leaping

One-foot takeoff with opposite-foot landing, emerging around 2–2.5 years.

Vertical Jump

Two-foot takeoff and landing performed primarily upward; matures ~5-6 years.

Long Jump

Two-foot takeoff and landing aimed at horizontal distance; matures ~5-6 years.

Hopping

One-foot takeoff and landing on same foot; matures ~5-6 years.

Galloping

Locomotor pattern of walk-leap with same lead foot; first of gallop-slide-skip sequence.

Sliding

Sideways gallop with lead and trail foot switching direction.

Skipping

Alternating step-hop pattern with uneven rhythm; most complex of the three.

Fine Motor Behaviour

Skillful, refined hand use for manipulation, developing strongly between 5–8 years.

Power Grip (Palmar Grasp)

Early drawing grip (<3 yrs) where fingers and thumb wrap tool; movement from shoulder/arm.

Dynamic Tripod Grip

Mature writing grasp (~4 yrs) using thumb and two fingers with wrist movement.

Bimanual Control

Coordinated use of both hands; symmetrical or asymmetrical tasks mastered by ~6 years.

Developmental Continuum

Sequence of motor phases from reflexive to peak performance and regression across lifespan.

Quantitative (Product) Performance

Outcome measures (distance, speed, accuracy) that generally improve with growth and experience.

Specialization

Focusing training on a single sport; early specialization linked to burnout and dropout.

Year-Round Play

Continuous training in one sport throughout the year; may increase injury and burnout risk.

Peak Performance

Optimal motor capability typically occurring between 18–30 years when biological maturity is reached.

Regression

Age-related decline in physiological and motor functions beginning after peak performance.

Genetic (Cellular Clock) Theory

Aging theory proposing lifespan is programmed by DNA with an upper limit ~125 years.

Wear-and-Tear Theory

Aging concept stating accumulated bodily damage over time exceeds repair capacity.

Cellular Garbage/Mutation Theory

Aging theory suggesting build-up of waste products and mutations (e.g., free radicals, cross-links) impairs function.

Immune System Theory

View that declining immune response with age leads to increased disease and aging symptoms.

Hormonal Theory

Aging perspective attributing functional decline to endocrine changes, such as thymus and hormone loss.

Chronological vs. Physiological Age

Difference between actual years lived and functional biological condition; active individuals show younger physiological age.

Norm-Referenced Standards

Assessment norms that rank individuals relative to a comparable group using percentiles.

Criterion-Referenced Standards

Assessment benchmarks indicating whether a specified performance level is achieved.

Process-Oriented Assessment

Evaluation focusing on movement form or technique; yields qualitative data.

Product-Oriented Assessment

Evaluation emphasizing performance outcome; provides quantitative data.

Validity

Extent to which an assessment measures what it intends to measure.

Reliability

Consistency and repeatability of assessment results.

Objectivity

Degree of examiner agreement in scoring an assessment.

Apgar Scale

Newborn assessment of Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, and Respiration.

Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS)

58-item observational tool evaluating posture and movement in infants 2 wks–18 mo.

Movement Assessment Battery for Children (ABC-2)

Test measuring motor skills in children aged 3–16 years.

Berg Balance Scale

14-item assessment of functional balance commonly used with older adults.

Socialization

Processes by which individuals learn the beliefs and behaviours of their society.

Culture

Subset of society characterized by shared attitudes, behaviours, and products.

Social Class (SES)

Grouping based on economic, educational, and occupational characteristics.

Direct Instruction

Socializing process where concepts are taught explicitly through language.

Shaping

Learning process where behaviour is gradually modified through experience and feedback.

Modeling

Acquisition of behaviours by observing and imitating others.

Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Model

Framework describing nested environmental systems (micro- to macro-) influencing development over time.

Process-Person-Context-Time Model

Extension of Bronfenbrenner emphasizing the dynamic interaction of processes, individual, context, and time.

Solitary Play

Independent play with different toys from peers; typical at 2–3 years.

Parallel Play

Independent play using similar toys alongside peers; frequency decreases with age.

Associative Play

Social play with interaction but little organization; common 3.5–5 years.

Cooperative Play

Purposeful, organized group play with shared goals; emerges ≈5 years.

Gender Roles

Social expectations regarding appropriate behaviours for males and females.

Gender-Role Stereotyping

Differential encouragement of activities for boys versus girls, shaping perceived abilities.

Self-Esteem

Overall evaluative judgment of one’s worth or value.

Self-Concept

Domain-specific perceptions of ability, e.g., academic, athletic.

Activity Theory

Proposition that maintaining an active lifestyle in later adulthood promotes life satisfaction and healthy aging.

Self-Efficacy

Belief in one’s capability to execute actions required to manage situations.

Outcome Expectations

Beliefs about the consequences of performing a behaviour.