introduction to motor development

human motor development

changes that occur in our ability to move as we proceed through life

an academic field of study - “study of changes in human movement across the lifespan and the processes that affect those changes.” (Clark & Whitall, 1989, p. 194)

importance of motor development

enables diagnosis of problems in those who are not developing typically

demonstrates how to improve/perfect movement performance

helps to understand how special populations develop movement skills and then improve/perfect movement performance

cognitive domain

intellectual development

affective domain

social/emotional aspects of development

psychomotor domain

development of human movement

physical domain

all types of bodily change

development

the changes we experience as we pass through life

“an interactional process that leads to changes in behavior over the life-span.” - motor development task force

development is

qualitative

sequential

cumulative

directional

multifactorial

individual

developmental perspective

researchers want to understand more than the current movement behavior

not just todays behavior but also what preceded the behavior and what will evolve from it

maturation

qualitative functional changes occurring with age

growth

quantitative structural changes occurring with age

cephalocaudal

• from head to tail

• human development progresses from the head down to the feet

• example: learning to walk

proximodistal

from closest to the body center to points close to the periphery

ex; grasping

differentiation

progression from gross or immature movement to precise, well-controlled, intentional movement

integration

various muscle systems function together

gross movement

• controlled primarily by large muscles or muscle groups

  • example: walking and running

fine movement

• small muscles or muscle groups

  • ex: drawing, sewing, playing a musical instrument

combo of gross and fine movements

very few movements are completely governed by either the small or the large muscle groups

• for example, throwing is a gross movement, but a fine motor component is critical

product approach

focus is on the end result or outcome

did the child catch the ball

processs approach

emphasis is on the movement itself, with little attention to the outcome

what is the Childs technique when trying to catch the ball

stages

particular times in life are characterized by certain behaviors

ex. terrible twos

newell 1986

constraints that affect or limit movement

clark and Metcalfe 2002

a metaphor - the mountain of motor development

1st stage of motor of motor development

reflexive period

2 stage of motor of motor development

preadapted period

3 stage of motor of motor development

fundamental patterns period

4 stage of motor of motor development

context specific period

last stage of motor of motor development

skillful period

motor development is like learning to climb a mountain

progression, sometimes followed by regression

periods of development

• each period contributes to skill acquisition thats necessary for the next period

periods of development

• reflexive

• preadapted

• fundamental patterns

• context specific

• skillful

• compensation

periods in the history of the motor development field

• precursor period

• maturational period

• normative/descriptive

• process-oriented

  • dynamic systems

history of hte field currently

a new, sixth period

rapid advancement of state-of-the-art, noninvasive technology (ex, MRI, EEG)