Motor Behavior: Perspectives, Subfields, and Lab Activities

Motor Behavior: Perspectives, Subfields, and Lab Activities

  • In-class setup and goal
    • Students should have paper and writing utensils; activities may require actively writing and coordinating movements.
    • The instructor uses topics rather than a fully scripted slide deck; students should fill in key points during notes.
    • Two books referenced:
    • A required, often expensive, second-edition book (used previously).
    • A cheaper alternative provided as a backup; page numbers will be listed for both.
    • The chapter focus is Perspectives and Motor Behavior; aims to ground understanding of motor behavior and its components.
    • Acknowledge that all points may not be covered today; some will be covered next week.

Motor behavior: umbrella term

  • Motor behavior is an umbrella term that includes three interconnected subfields: motor development, motor learning, and motor control.
  • When we talk about motor behavior, we’re referring to all three subfields together.

Motor development

  • Definition and scope:
    • Motor development is the study of the products and the underlying processes of motor behavior changes across the lifespan.
    • It examines outcomes (the products) and processes (the mechanisms) involved in how movement changes over time.
    • It concerns how the ability to control movement changes from infancy to old age and the adaptations required to perform better in skills across life.
  • Emphasis:
    • Outcomes of movement and the processes that produce those outcomes.
    • Changes in motor behavior across the lifespan.
  • Practical takeaway:
    • Repeated practice of motor skills (e.g., sports) leads to better retention because the more you hear/perform a task, the more likely you are to remember it.

Motor learning

  • Definition and scope:
    • Motor learning refers to the study of the processes involved in gaining motor skills and the factors that enhance or inhibit an individual’s capability to perform a motor skill.
  • Focus:
    • How skills are acquired and improved over time through practice and experience.
    • What helps or hinders improvement in performance of motor tasks.

Motor control

  • Definition and scope:
    • Motor control refers to the study of neural, physical, and behavioral aspects of human movement.
  • Core question:
    • How do we process what we see and feel, and how do neural pathways translate into movement and behavior in a given context (e.g., sport)?
  • Components:
    • Neurological processing (the nervous system).
    • Physical execution (muscles, limbs, joints).
    • Behavioral decisions (choices made during a movement).
  • Example: basketball or soccer
    • Moving with the ball involves decisions based on teammates, opponents, field conditions, and environmental factors.
    • Environments can be controlled (indoor court) or variable (outdoor field with weather effects).
    • Movement is guided by perception (what you see) and action (what you decide to do).

Three key issues in motor control

  • Degrees of Freedom (DOF) problem
  • Serial order problem
  • Perceptual-motor integration problem

Degrees of freedom (DOF) problem

  • Definition:
    • DOF refers to the number of independent elements that must be involved to produce a coordinated movement pattern.
  • Examples of independent factors in a pitch:
    • Timing, location, speed, weather conditions (wind, rain), surface conditions, player positions, etc.
  • Purpose of managing DOF:
    • Coordination involves constraining DOF to reduce movement task complexity and produce a stable movement pattern that achieves the goal.
  • Practical notes:
    • Weather and environmental conditions can force adjustments in a movement (e.g., wind affecting a baseball throw or a soccer kick).
    • Indoor play removes some environmental DOF, simplifying movement patterns but potentially reducing realism.
  • Relationship to performance:
    • As DOF is managed (reduced when appropriate), movement becomes more coordinated and efficient.
  • Illustrative commentary:
    • For example, in a corner kick, you may need to add spin to direct the ball effectively; this is a controlled adjustment within the DOF framework.

Serial order problem

  • Definition:
    • The sequencing and timing of movement events; certain tasks require a specific order for successful execution.
  • Example: pitching a baseball
    • There is a defined sequence of actions; changing the order can lead to an ineffective pitch.
  • Additional examples:
    • Changing the order in a kicking action (wind-up, run-up, kick) can cause the ball to miss or go off-target.
  • Importance:
    • Timing and order are critical for successful motor performance across many tasks.

Perceptual-motor integration

  • Definition:
    • The study of how perception and action are integrated; how perception informs motor decisions and how movement is adjusted based on what is perceived.
  • Practical implication:
    • Movement is guided by the interpretation of sensory information (visual, proprioceptive, vestibular) and the resulting motor commands.

Lab activities and practical demonstrations

  • Lab objective: to observe coordination and motor learning in action and to practice documenting results.
  • Lab setup and expectations:
    • If you have the book, Lab activity corresponds to page 7 (or page 8 in the newer edition).
    • You will answer questions in a document or clearly legible handwritten notes that are photographed and submitted as part of a single file.
    • The instructor will read, so keep handwriting legible or type the responses.
  • Lab activities (hands-on examples):
    • Name backwards with the non-dominant hand while the dominant hand writes forward simultaneously (mirror-image coordination).
    • Perform a second task: write the name backwards with the left hand and forward with the right hand at the same time.
    • Examples: “Tyson” as a test word; note that the task is intentionally challenging and reveals coordination limits.
    • Hand and foot activity: draw circles with one foot in a clockwise direction for about a minute; while doing so, draw the number 6 in the air with your finger—without stopping.
    • Observe effects when alternating sides (dominant hand vs non-dominant hand, dominant vs non-dominant leg).
  • Observations to capture:
    • How difficult was the task?
    • Did you have to concentrate more? Was it easier over time?
    • Differences between right-hand/right-leg dominant vs left-hand/left-leg dominant performers.
  • Submission details and technology tips:
    • Lab is due before class time on Monday (as stated in syllabus).
    • Late penalty: 3 mornings per day late (emphasized repeatedly to ensure awareness).
    • If using Google Docs or Word:
    • Save as PDF or Word document if requested.
    • When turning in, insert images into the document rather than submitting separate image files.
    • If you have trouble, instructors may leave comments requesting a different submission format.
  • Additional instructions for document submission:
    • To insert an image in a document: use Insert > Image > Upload from computer or device (or via Google Drive) and place it in the document.
    • Ensure there is space below answers to accommodate inserted images.
    • If you already submitted separately, you can still attach the image to the existing file for a single submission.

Additional concepts discussed in class

  • Spoonerisms (action slips) and practical examples
    • Spoonerism: an error in speech where initial consonants or sounds are swapped between words.
    • Examples discussed:
    • Busy dean -> dean busy (swap of initial sounds)
    • Jelly beans -> belly jeans
    • Trail snacks -> snail tracks
    • Pork chops -> chork pops
    • The point: people swap consonants or vowels in the moment; it’s a normal but amusing error in speech and relates to action slips in daily life.
  • Action slips (errors in action due to mindless execution)
    • Definition:
    • An error caused by mindlessly performing a task without focusing on the specifics of the task.
    • Everyday examples:
    • Eating: mindlessly taking bites without aligning mouth movement to food, leading to awkward chokes or misses.
    • Drinking: missing the mouth, spilling liquid due to lack of attention to the specifics of the action.
    • Relevance:
    • Demonstrates how attention and planning affect smooth motor performance; practice can reduce these slips.
  • Coarticulation and its three effects
    • Coarticulation: simultaneous motions that occur in sequential tasks; movements overlap in time for efficiency.
    • Three effects of coarticulation:
    • Simultaneous motions occur in sequential tasks.
    • Preplanning of movements occurs (anticipation of upcoming movements).
    • More efficient movements due to overlapping actions, reducing energy and time.
    • Example of preplanning and coarticulation:
    • When saying words like twilight, gold, and cupid, the mouth shapes adjust in anticipation of upcoming sounds (e.g., the lips round before producing a consonant like 't', 'g', or 'c').
    • Practical takeaway:
    • Preplanning reduces cognitive load and increases fluidity in movement and speech; the more you practice, the easier it becomes to coordinate multiple actions together (e.g., chewing and walking).
  • Examples to illustrate coarticulation and planning
    • Words like twilight, gold, cup-id show preparatory mouth shapes before key sounds.
    • Other examples mentioned (for brainstorming): golf, word sequences with anticipatory articulation.
  • Final notes on the coarticulation exercise
    • The instructor invites students to brainstorm additional words that exhibit coarticulation patterns and anticipatory planning in speech.

Practical implications and relevance to teaching and performance

  • Importance of motor competence:
    • Being able to move effectively is foundational to competence in any motor skill.
  • Evolution of the field:
    • The field has evolved from basic movement studies to a comprehensive understanding of motor development, learning, and control across the lifespan.
  • Relevance to teaching and assessment:
    • Knowledge of motor behavior informs how we teach and assess motor skills in sports, physical activity, health programs, and related fields.
  • Environmental and task demands:
    • Real-world performance is shaped by environment (indoor vs outdoor, weather, surface) and by the demands of the specific task (kicking a ball, shooting a basket, etc.).

Mathematical notes and formal relationships (LaTeX)

  • Degrees of freedom (DOF) concept:
    • Definition: ext{DOF} = ext{number of independent elements involved in producing a movement}.
    • Implication: Reducing DOF can decrease task complexity and help produce a coordinated movement pattern.
    • Example relation (conceptual): ext{Complexity} \propto \text{DOF}
  • Perceptual-motor integration (no explicit equations in lecture, but concept): perception and action are tightly linked; information from perception guides motor decisions and the resulting action updates as perception changes.
  • Coarticulation effects (conceptual): overlaps between planning and execution lead to efficiency; no explicit numeric formula, but the idea can be summarized as:
    • Simultaneous motions in sequential tasks
    • Preplanning of movements
    • Increased efficiency (energy/time) due to overlapping actions

Quick recap of key terms

  • Motor behavior: umbrella term for motor development, motor learning, motor control
  • Motor development: products and processes of movement changes across the lifespan
  • Motor learning: processes involved in gaining motor skills and factors that affect improvement
  • Motor control: neural, physical, and behavioral aspects of movement; three key issues: DOF, serial order, perceptual-motor integration
  • DOF problem: reduction of independent movement elements to simplify coordination
  • Serial order problem: timing and sequencing of movement components
  • Perceptual-motor integration: linking perception to action
  • Action slips: errors in action due to mindless execution
  • Spoonerisms: swaps of sounds in speech illustrating coordination and cognitive planning in real time
  • Coarticulation: overlapping movements to improve efficiency; three effects as described above
  • Lab deliverables: must demonstrate coordination tasks, document results, and submit as a single file with images embedded
  • Submission rules: late penalty of 3 mornings per day late; provide readable documents; insert images into the document

Note on incomplete transcript segments

  • The transcript ends mid-sentence while discussing letters and word examples for planning ("What about the letter r? Think of an r word that not the r word, but"). If more context is available, we can add the continuation and examples for coarticulation/preplanning.