Lec 12 - Indivudal Diffrences Pt.1 Flashcards
What is a normal distribution in data analysis?
A bell curve where most values fall around the mean.
Why is it important to study individual differences?
To understand abilities, which are fundamental, often inherited traits that contribute to expertise and are mostly unaffected by practice.
What is the goal of the experimental method in studying motor behaviour?
To understand general motor behavior by comparing means across groups, treating individual differences as “noise” or error.
How does the differential method differ from the experimental method?
It focuses on what makes individuals different, comparing individual performances across multiple tests within the same group.
What does r-squared (r²) represent in correlation?
The proportion of variance shared between the variables. For example, r = 0.6 means r² = 0.36 or 36% shared variance.
Who proposed the General Motor Ability Theory and what does it suggest?
Proposed by McCloy and Brace (1920s-1930s). It suggests there is one all-encompassing motor ability that determines a person’s proficiency across various tasks.
What does the Specificity Hypothesis propose about motor abilities?
Proposed by Henry (1960s), it suggests that motor abilities are task-specific and independent. Skills for one task do not predict performance in another unrelated task.
What is the main concept of Fleishman’s Groupings of Abilities theory?
There are a limited number of independent abilities that group together and influence performance on different but related tasks.
Name four factors that can influence individual differences in motor skills.
1) Motor abilities (e.g., finger dexterity, stamina), 2) Attitudes and emotional makeup, 3) Body and cultural background, 4) Learning style and maturational level.
How can correlation be used to test different motor ability theories?
General Motor Ability would show strong correlation (r ≈ 1) across tasks, Specificity Hypothesis would show low correlation (r ≈ 0), and Groupings of Abilities would show moderate correlation (0.2 < r < 0.8) between related tasks.
