Motor Skill: Chapter 1

Which of the following is a way to determine the function of an action?

Determining regulatory and nonregulatory conditions Deciding whether the environmental context is stationary or in motion Deciding whether or not a skill involves holding or using an object* Deciding whether intertrial variability is present or absent

Which of the following is an example of a fine motor skill?

Drawing* Walking Stepping on a moving escalator Steering an automobile

Which of the following motor skills include the repetitive movements characteristic of continuous skills and the specified beginning and end points of each movement that characterize discrete skills?

Gross motor skills Fundamental motor skills Serial motor skills* Fine motor skills

Identify the practical uses of Gentile's taxonomy. (Check all that apply.)

It can be used as a means of charting individual progress of patients as they work to attain rehabilitation.* It is a valuable tool for systematically selecting a progression of functionally appropriate activities.* It is used to survey an individual's skills that fit on the continuum between gross and fine motor skills. It can be used to diagnose inadequacies in an individual's musculature.

Which of the following motor skills include the repetitive movements characteristic of continuous skills and the specified beginning and end points of each movement that characterize discrete skills?

Serial motor skills* Fine motor skills Gross motor skills Fundamental motor skills

Identify the dimensions of motor skills that are considered in Gentile's two-dimensions taxonomy. (Check all that apply.)

The environmental context in which a person performs a skill* The function of the action characterizing a skill* The motor control of the performer who is executing an action The size of the musculature of the performer who is executing an action

Identify the features of the environmental context in relation to motor skills classification. (Check all that apply.)

The part of the day in which a skill is performed Other people or animals involved in a performance situation* Age and gender of the person performing a skill Objects involved in performing a skill* The supporting surface on which a person performs a skill*

In Gentile's taxonomy, the term _____ refers to maintaining or changing the position of an object.

body transport manipulation* body orientation movement

A cognitive skill differs from a motor skill in that the former _____.

cannot have specific goals does not require voluntary limb movement to achieve its goals* cannot be learned or unlearned does not require training or practice to achieve perfection

In the context of motor skills, when the supporting surface, object, or other people involved in the performance of a skill are stationary, the skill is called a(n) ___ ___ ____

closed motor skill

In the context of the practical value of Gentile's taxonomy, a practitioner or a therapist can use the taxonomy to _____.

diagnose problems in the musculature of an athlete evaluate the movement capabilities and limitations of a learner* accelerate the rehabilitation process of an athlete correct the skill performance deficits exhibited by a learner

The term _____ _______ refers to the specific physical location where a skill is performed.

environmental context

In order to perform an open motor skill successfully, a performer must _____.

execute a series of discrete skills solely engage his or her small musculature act according to the movement of the relevant environmental context features* initiate the movements involved in performing the skill when he or she is ready to do so

Some motor learning and control researchers refer to closed motor skills as _____ because a performer initiates the movements involved in performing a skill when he or she is ready to do so.

self-paced* discrete skills instructor-led gross skills

A motor skill that requires the use of large musculature to achieve its goal is known as a _____.

sequential motor skill fine motor skill serial motor skill gross motor skill*

Identify the factors that are most relevant in determining the function of an action as proposed by Gentile. (Check all that apply.)

Body orientation* Nonregulatory conditions Intertrial variability Object manipulation*

Which of the following is an example of an open motor skill?

Buttoning a shirt Shooting an arrow at a bull's-eye Climbing a flight of stairs Stepping onto a moving escalator*

Identify an example of a closed motor skill.

Catching a thrown ball Surfing a wave Stepping onto a moving escalator Walking in a room full of furniture*

Identify a true statement about closed motor skills.

Motor learning and control researchers refer to these types of skills as sequential motor skills. A performer initiates the movements involved in performing the skill when he or she is ready to do so.* Motor learning and control researchers refer to these types of skills as externally paced. A performer performs in an environment in which the relevant environmental context features are in motion.

Identify a true statement about intertrial variability.

Motor skills are differentiated based on whether intertrial variability is stationary or in motion. Motor skills can be distinguished based on whether intertrial variability is present or absent.* It is almost always absent when the environment is in motion. It is present from trial to trial when motion is caused by a machine.

Identify the characteristics that are common to motor skills. (Check all that apply.)

Motor skills need to be learned or relearned.* Motor skills require movement of joints and body segments.* Motor skills must be inherent or instinctive. Motor skills have a goal to achieve.* Motor skills require identical movement patterns. Motor skills are performed voluntarily.*

Identify a statement that accurately illustrates the one-to-many relationship between movements and actions.

The purpose that any movement fulfills is determined by the context in which the movement occurs.* One action goal can be achieved through a single movement pattern. The purpose of all human movements is to accomplish a common action goal. One movement pattern can be used to achieve only a single action goal.

Which of the following is an example of a nonregulatory condition in the game of football?

The size of a ball The color of a ball* The weight of a ball The speed of a ball

Identify an accurate statement about neuromotor processes.

They are mechanisms that are independent of the muscular system. They cannot be observed directly with the naked eye.* These processes have negligible control over movements and actions. These processes cannot be measured precisely.

Identify a true statement about serial motor skills.

They seldom require specified beginning and end points. They involve simple, one-movement skills with arbitrary beginnings. They include features of both continuous and discrete skills.* They seldom involve repetitive movements

Identify a true statement about continuous motor skills.

They usually contain repetitive movements.* They are usually simple, one-movement skills. They require a specified beginning and end location. They require a series or sequence of discrete movements.

Which of the following motor skills can be classified as gross motor skills? (Check all that apply.)

Walking* Sewing Writing Hopping*

The term skill can be used to denote _____.

__

Which of the following is true of a cognitive skill?

a. It requires control over movements of the joints to achieve its goal. b. It always involves voluntary limb movement and balance abilities. c. It requires control over body segments to achieve its goal. d. It requires abilities such as remembering, decision making, and problem solving.

In Gentile's taxonomy, the changing or maintaining of body location is known as ___ ___

body orientation

Which of the following is a characteristic of skilled individuals?

a. They appear to have extra time during tasks with severe time limitations.* b. They make tasks look complex and difficult. c. They cannot consistently achieve the same results. d. They excel in tasks only under favorable conditions.

The final criterion used to assess individuals' level of skill is their _____.

a. capability to teach their methods to others b. degree of efficiency* c. educational qualification d. experience in performing a task

The first criterion analyzed to determine where along the skill continuum a person's performance would be classified states that highly skilled individuals show a greater capacity to _____.

a. consistently achieve task goals b. succeed under particularly favorable conditions c. teach methods needed for achieving task goals d. motivate people around them

The study of motor learning emphasizes the _____.

a. coordination of the muscles involved in the performance of a motor skill b. study of human development from infancy through old age c. reacquisition of skills that are difficult to perform d. processes that influence changes in motor behavior

The study of _____ emphasizes the acquisition of motor skills, the performance enhancement of highly experienced motor skills, or the reacquisition of skills due to different reasons.

a. motor control b. motor development c. motor learning* d. motor strategy

The term skill is used to denote some degree of competence or capacity to perform a task. For example, people might refer to someone as a skilled footballer. When the term is used this way, a value judgment is being placed on the _____.

a. quality of an individual's performance b. motivation behind an individual's performance c. purpose of a task being performed by an individual d. predispositions affecting an individual's performance

The second criterion analyzed to determine where along the skill continuum a person's performance would be classified is the extent to which the person can achieve _____.

a. task goals under a range of different conditions b. satisfaction after completing task goals c. public appreciation along with task goals d. varying results while performing the same task

An accurate feature about highly skilled individuals is that they can achieve the goal of a motor task _____.

a. through a single practiced and perfected method b. inconsistently depending on favorable conditions c. under a much wider range of conditions than the less-skilled d. with little efficiency in their efforts

In the motor learning and control research literature, specific patterns of motion among joints and body segments are indicated by the term _____.

action goals movements* cognitions behaviors

A feature of regulatory conditions is that they _____.

are features of the environmental context that are solely in motion are part of the function of the action dimension of Gentile's taxonomy refer to characteristics in the environmental context in which a skill is performed* refer to characteristics of a person's movements

The first criterion analyzed to determine where along the skill continuum a person's performance would be classified is the extent to which the person _____.

feels he or she has successfully achieved the task goals for once feels content after completing the goal of a task can consistently achieve the goal of a task* can motivate himself or herself to complete task goals

A feature of Gentile's two-dimension taxonomy is that it _____.

focuses solely on the musculature required to execute motor skills is limited to the physical therapy context consists of an expansive taxonomy that yields sixteen skill categories* is of limited use to people involved in teaching or training motor skills

Motor skills with arbitrary beginning and end locations are known as _____.

gross motor skills discrete motor skills fine motor skills continuous motor skills*

The mechanisms within the central and peripheral nervous system as well as the muscular system that underlie the control of movements and actions are known as _____.

gross motor techniques fine motor skills muscular movements neuromotor processes*

Walking is considered a motor skill because it _____.

has no specific goal to achieve is a learned skill* is a skill that cannot be relearned must be continuously relearned

Movements are the component parts of motor skills; this means that movements are the means by which _____.

inherent reflexes are learned action goals are accomplished* motor skills become involuntary in nature cognitive skills are developed

The term _____ refers to features of the environmental context that have no influence or only an indirect influence on movement characteristics.

intertrial variability nonregulatory conditions* regulatory conditions environmental context

The term _____ refers to those features of the environmental context to which movements must conform if they are to achieve an action goal.

intertrial variability stability taxonomy regulatory conditions*

A fine motor skill requires _____.

limited hand-eye coordination control of small muscles to achieve the goal of the skill* clearly defined movement beginning and end points less movement precision than a gross motor skill does

Movements and actions have a many-to-one relationship. This means that _____.

many different movements are required to accomplish a single action goal more than one person is required to achieve a certain action goal various movements can accomplish the same action goal* most people can learn movement patterns to reach an action goal

A person's action goal of kicking a ball can be achieved with several different movement characteristics. For example, he may kick the ball with his right leg, his left leg, or the back of his heel—all achieving the action goal. This example highlights the _____.

many-to-one relationship between movements and actions* specific patterns of motion among joints and body segments complexity of movement patterns required to achieve an action goal specific patterns of movement that are performed involuntarily

The term _____ refers to whether the regulatory conditions during performance are the same or different from one attempt to perform a skill to another.

movements intertrial variability* taxonomy environmental context

When the context changes, the same movement of swinging one's hand could be used to achieve different action goals. For example, swinging a bat to hit a ball, throwing a ball, or swatting a fly all make use of the same movement pattern. This example highlights the _____.

one-to-many relationship between movements and actions* concept of any one movement pattern fulfilling any action goal independence of a movement's purpose from the context in which it occurs cognitive skill required to act in different situations

A skill that requires a specified beginning and end location is categorized as a(n) _____.

open motor skill discrete motor skill* gross motor skill serial motor skill

A feature of Gentile's taxonomy is that _____.

skill categories are organized in terms of decreasing complexity each skill category poses different demands on a performer* motor skills must be considered solely in terms of the environmental context skills that demand the least of the performer are the most complex

True or false: In the context of Gentile's taxonomy, skills that require object manipulation are more difficult to perform than skills that involve no object manipulation.

true

A feature of discrete motor skills is that they _____. Multiple choice question.

usually involve repetitive movements have to be conducted in a stationary environment are typically simple, one-movement skills* are skills with arbitrary beginning and end locations