Concepts of Motor Control

Question 1

Motor Control

Answer 1

Neuroscience (Neuroplastic capabilities), Psychology, Biomechanics

Study of neural, physical, behavioral aspects of movement

“The degrees of freedom problem”; Number of ways a joint can move

Question 2

Motor Development

Answer 2

Study of changes in motor behavior resulting from growth, maturation and experience (lifespan changes to the neural system)

Ex: Dr. G’s youngest daughter over 4 years jumping

Question 3

Motor Learning Definition

Answer 3

Set of internal processes associated with practice/experience, resulting in relatively permanent changes in capability for motor skill

Break between learning and demonstrating it at a later time.

Can learn something without major changes in growth and maturation. Ex: Dr.G’s older daughter in 3 days jumping.

Question 4

Motor Performance Definition

Answer 4

Observable attempt to produce voluntary action

Question 5

Movement Constraints

Answer 5

An objects shape dictates how someone is constrained to move.

3 Domains that overlap: Task, Individual, Environment

Where these three domains overlap we get movement.

What is the task, what are the functional tasks, what are the functional demands, what equipment do they have and how well is it working?

Question 6

Motor skill

Answer 6

voluntary, goal-directed motor behavior

Classification assists in understanding task demands

Question 7

Task/Skill Classifications

Answer 7

• Functional Groups
• Primary Musculature
• Movement organization
• Action Requirements
• Task Variability

Question 8

Functional Groups

Answer 8

– Bed mobility (transfer), ADLs (Getting dressed), Community mobility (Walking speed), Sport mobility (agility, change of direction)

Question 9

Primary Musculature

Answer 9

– Fine vs. Gross motor skills (Fine = small, Gross = large)

Question 10

Movement organization

Answer 10

Discrete (One jump; Idenifiable start and stop), Continuous (Running; can be broken down into segments), Serial (Sequence of discrete movements)

Question 11

Action Requirements

Answer 11

• Stability
• Mobility (speed, community ambulation)
• Object Manipulation
  – (fine motor control - hand function; Ex: Shoulder places hand into space) (Proper motion, shifts center of mass)

Ex: Reach for drink: Engage calf, glute max, and ant delt before hand

Question 12

Task Variability

Answer 12

Open: high variability (Different spots)
Closed: Repetition (Same spot)

Ex: Shooting basket
– One spot (open)
– All around the 3 point line (open)

The more variable the task or environment the harder the task will be.

Question 13

Environmental Constraints

Answer 13

• Environment predictability
  – Open vs. closed
  – Regulatory (Things in environment directly impact movement; ice you decrease stride length and widen base of support) vs non-regulatory features (indirectly impact movement; distractors in environment; jumping around in a swim suit - didn’t change movement of basketball shot but did distract)

Grass vs carpet; start of game vs 2 minutes left

Movement skills are very specific to the task and the environment. Our neural control is dependent on task and environment

Question 14

Task and Environment Combinations

Answer 14

More movement required by a task or environment makes the task more difficult.

(1) Stationary individual in a stationary environment
(2) Moving individual in a stationary environment
(3) Stationary individual in a moving environment
(4) Moving individual in a moving environment

Question 15

Individual constraints

Answer 15

• Individual differences explained by Motor Abilities:
  – Motor Ability – hypothetical construct underlying the performance of tasks
  – Relatively stable characteristics, genetically or developmentally determined
  – A person’s “equipment” (genetics/ability) for completing motor tasks

Ex: Flexibility; Dr.G hamstring tightness

Think sensory or perceptual motor

Question 16

Systems approach to individual constraints

Answer 16

• Action (Motor output from the nervous system to the muscle; Ex: Tight hamstrings)
• Perception (Integration of sensory impressions that gives meaning to sensory information)
• Cognition (Attention, planning, problem solving, motivation, emotion; Ex: Only being able to plan one step at a time)

Movement may hurt in one context but not another; Cognition example.

By adding goals/distraction in movement can add skill onto the movement; hole on wall.

Question 17

Human movement is…

Answer 17

task and environment specific

Question 18

Functional capacity

Answer 18

an individual’s capacity to meet interacting task and environment demands