UNIT ONE- motor behaviour

Q: What is motor behaviour?

A: The study of people performing movements or motor skills; how the body receives, processes, integrates, responds to, and stores information.

Q: What are the sub-disciplines of motor behaviour?

A: Motor control, motor learning, motor development.

Q: Why is motor behaviour important?

A: It is crucial in order to train and teach movement.

Q: What is a motor skill?

A: A goal-oriented, voluntary movement that must be learned.

Q: What is motor control?

A: The study of neural, physical, and behavioural aspects underlying movement.

Q: What are the two main goals of motor control?

A: Stabilize the body, move the body.

Q: What is motor learning?

A: Internal processes leading to relatively permanent performance changes through practice/experience (must be inferred, not directly observed).

Q: What is motor performance?

A: The observable attempt to execute a motor skill; may be temporary and influenced by motivation, fatigue, anxiety, or medication.

Q: What is knowledge of results (KR)?

A: Outcome measures — info about the end result of performance (e.g., time, errors, distance, balance).

Q: What is knowledge of performance (KP)?

A: Process measures — info about the quality of movement (e.g., limb velocity, joint angles, EMG, EEG).

Q: Fine vs. Gross motor skills?

A: Fine = precise, small muscles (e.g., buttoning shirt); Gross = large muscles, whole body (e.g., swimming).

Q: Closed vs. Open motor skills?

A: Closed = predictable, stationary environment (e.g., golf swing); Open = unpredictable, moving environment (e.g., catching a ball).

Q: Discrete vs. Serial vs. Continuous skills?

A: Discrete = clear start/stop (flipping switch); Serial = sequence of discrete actions (triple jump); Continuous = ongoing, repetitive (cycling).

Q: What are the 2 main dimensions in Gentile’s taxonomy?

A: Environmental context & Action requirements.

Q: What are regulatory conditions?

A: Environmental features that determine movement characteristics (stationary vs. in motion).

Q: What is intertrial variability?

A: Whether regulatory conditions remain the same (fixed) or change (variable) across attempts.

Q: What are the two action requirements?

A: Body orientation (stability vs. transport) and object manipulation (yes/no).

Q: What is the easiest skill type in Gentile’s system?

A: Body stability, no object manipulation, stationary–fixed environment.

Q: What is the most difficult skill type?

A: Body transport, object manipulation, in motion–variable environment.

Q: Task, Individual, or Environment? Lack of motivation.

A: Individual–functional.

Q: Task, Individual, or Environment? Ankle sprain.

A: Individual–structural.

Q: Task, Individual, or Environment? Fear of falling.

A: Individual–functional.

Q: Task, Individual, or Environment? Using regulation-size football with 8-year-olds.

A: Task constraint.

Q: Task, Individual, or Environment? Catching a ball while looking into the sun.

A: Environmental constraint.

Q: Scenario 1: Stand without assistance for 30 sec × 3 attempts in empty clinic room — classify.

A: Stationary, fixed environment; body stability, no object manipulation.

Q: Scenario 2: Player hits baseball from a pitching machine at same speed/location — classify.

A: In motion, fixed environment; body stability, object manipulation.