Theoretical Perspectives in Motor Development Flashcards
What is the maturational perspective?
Motor development driven by maturation of systems (nature)
Minimal influence of envrionment
What is the history of the maturational perspective?
1930s -> Gesell, McGraw
Maturation controlled by genetics
Environment effects development temporarily because hereditary factors were in control
Development was orderly and invariably genetically determined
The rate of development may differ from individuals that individuals can have unique timing
What is the co-twin control strategy?
One twin: special training (experimental treatment)
Other twin: no special treatment (control)
Rationale: what better way to test the effects of the environment and heredity
Results: Significant contributions to the study of motor development
Identified:
-sequence of skills
-variation in the rate of skill onset
Conclusion: motor development = predictable and predetermined order
What is the maturation theory?
Basic motor skill emerge automatically
Unnecessary to facilitate development of basic skills
There is no need for special training
Mild deprivation does not arrest development
The nervous system is most important
What are the descriptive periods in motor development?
Normative descriptive period
Biomechanic Descriptive period
What is the Normative Descriptive Period?
1950s: concerned with standardized norm
Motor develop focused on products rather than the process
Used quantitative scores to describe average performance
What is the biomechanical descriptive period?
1950s:
Use pf biomechanical descriptions of movement patterns in fundamental skills
Description of course of sequential development
Valuable info on age related changes in motor development
Focus on description rather then process of improvement
What is the information processing perspective?
Motor development driven by external processes (nuture)
Basic tenent: brain acts like a computer
-Passive human responds to stimuli
- Important concepts: Input, encoding, processing, feedback
Tried to link learning disabilities to delayed perceptual motor development
What is the ecological perspective (EP)?
Driven by interrelationship of individual environment and task (importance of multiple systems)
Neural systems one of many responsible for action
What are the two branches of EP?
Dynamical systems (motor control and coordination) Perception - action (concerned with perception)
What are differences with maturationalists?
EP: motor development due to development of multiple systems
EP: Motor development changes over lifetime.
Maturaionalist: development ends at puberty
What are differences with information processing theory?
IPT: executive function is thought to decide all action
EP: Feel executive function would be overwhelmed
Muscles self assemble
Reduces the number of decisions required from the higher brain centers
What are dynamical systems?
Suggests that the very organization of physical and chemical systems constrain behavior
Suggests coordinated behavior is softly assembled rather than hardwired
Ability to adapt to different situations
Spontaneous self organization
Resultant behavior self organizes from the interrelationship between individual, environmental and task constraints
What are rate limiters?
Any constraint that holds back or slows the emergence of motor skills
What is perception-action?
Theory based on the walk of Gibson
Close interrelationship between perceptual systems and the motor system
Both systems evolve together
Cannot study the individual without accounting for the environment
