Chapter 1 Classification of Motor Skills

Motor learning involves the study of:

1. Acquisition of new skills 2. Performance enhancement of well-learned skills 3. Reacquisition of skills following injury, disease, etc.

4 characteristics can describe any motor skill: 2 Environmental context characteristics

1. Are the regulatory conditions stationary or in motion? 2. Do the regulatory conditions change from trial to trial?

Function of the action Two characteristics

1. Body orientation 2. Object manipulation

Specificity of Where Actions Begin or End Two main categories:

1. Discrete motor skills 2. Continuous motor skills

4 characteristics can describe any motor skill: 2 Action function characteristics

1. Does the action goal require maintaining the body in the same location or transporting the body from one place to another? 2. Is an object manipulated?

Two-dimensions of the taxonomy:

1. Environmental context 2. Function of the action

Three Reasons Why Movements are Different than Motor Skills

1. People learn skills/actions (while people have unique movements even within learned skill) 2. People adapt movement characteristics to achieve a common action goal 3. People evaluate motor skill performance and movements with different types of measures

Environmental context Two characteristics

1. Regulatory conditions 2. Intertrial variability

One-Dimension , 3 terms

1. Size of Musculature 2. Specificity of beginning and end of action 3 . Stability of environment

characteristics of skills and actions

1. a goal to achieve; motor skills have a purpose 2. performed voluntarily types of motor skills of interest; not considering reflexes as skills 3. a motor skill requires head, body, and or limb movement to accomplish the goal of the task 4. Need to be learned or relearned.

2 ways to distinguish motor skills according to whether intertrial variability

1. absent 2. present

2 body orientation characteristics that are important for classifying motor skills

1. body stability 2. body transport

2 categories of a skill requires a specific beginning and ending

1. discrete motor skill 2. continuous motor skill

2 categories based on the size of the muscle group required to perform the skill

1. gross motor skills 2. fine motor skills.

motor skills are studied in two ways

1. motor learning 2. motor control

- arbitrary beginning and end points; usually involve repetitive movements

Continuous motor skills

a motor skill with clearly defined beginning and end points

Discrete motor skill-

usually requiring a simple movement

Discrete motor skill-

- specified beginning and end points, usually require a simple movement

Discrete motor skills

a motor skill that requires control of small muscles to achieve the goal of the skill

Fine motor skill-

typically involves eye-hand coordination and requires a high degree of precision of hand and finger movement

Fine motor skill-

Two-Dimension 4 terms

Gentile's 1.Regulatory Conditions 2.Intertrial Variability 3.Body Orientation 4.Object Manipulation

a motor skill that requires the use of large musculature to achieve the goal of the skill

Gross motor skill-

Motor control involves the study of:

How the neuromuscular system functions to enable coordinated movement While learning a new skill While performing a well-learned skill

Motor development involves the study of:

Human development from infancy to old age Issues related to either motor learning or motor control

Whether the regulatory conditions are the same or different from one performance attempt to another

Intertrial variability

refers to whether the regulatory conditions that exist for the performance of a skill in one situation or for one trial are present or absent in the next situation or trial

Intertrial variability-

a motor skill involving a series of discrete skills order of actions is important

Serial motor skill-

The benefit of a continuum approach to skill classification

Some motor skills involve both types to achieve the action goal and would be located between the two points

example of body stability

Standing drinking from a cup shooting an arrow in archery

referes to skills that involve no change in body location during the performance of a skill

body stability

skill requires the body to move from one place to another

body transport

Stable or predictable environment Self-paced

closed motor skill

dont change location during the performance of a skill

closed motor skills

motor skill performed in a stationary environment where the performer determines when to begin the action

closed motor skills

walking occurs in a hallway object/people are present but stationary

closed skill for walking

walking occurs in a hallway with no object or other people

closed skill for walking

skills for which regulatory conditions are stationary are

closed skills

motor skill with arbitrary movement beginning and end points

continuous motor skills

typically involves repetitive movements

continuous motor skills

deciding whether on not performing a skill involves moving the body from one location to another

determining the function of an action

whether or not the skills involves holding or using an object

determining the function of an action

skills involve a specified place in the environment to begin and end the movement

discrete motor skill

motor skill with clearly defined movements with beginning and ending posts

discrete motor skills

typically require simple movement skills

discrete motor skills

What is the problem with One-Dimensonal Classification of motor skills

does not always capture the complexity of many skills that a practitioner must take into account when making decisions about instructions , practice routine, or therapy regimen

examples of fine motor skills

drawing, sewing, fastening a button

examples of open motor skills

driving a car stepping on to a moving escalator striking a moving ball catching a thrown ball walking on a sidewalk crowded with people running a distance race with other runners

1st dimension of Gentiles taxonomy

environmental context

specific location where a skill is performed

environmental context

open motor skills can also be referred to as

externally paced

fine motor skill typically involve

eye-hand coordination and a high degree of precision of hand and finger movement

examples of closed motor skils

picking up a cup from a table while standing shooting an arrow at a stationary target buttoning a shirt climbing a flight of stairs hitting a ball of a tee

characteristics of the environmental context that determines the movement characteristics needed to perform an action

regulatory conditions

do not refer to the characteristics of a persons movement BUT rather only to characteristics in the environmental context in which a skill is performed

regulatory conditions

objects and other people may be ________ _________ in a walking environmental context

regulatory conditions

Motor skill performance-

relates to its outcome

for many open skills changes can occur while an action is in progress that will require

require the person to make movement adjustments to conform to these environmental changes

closed motor skills can also be referred to as

self-paced

serial motor skills are also called

sequential motor skills

a motor skill involving a series of discrete skills

serial motor skills

best to locate on the continuum between continuous and discrete skills

serial motor skills

this skill includes the receptive movements of continuous skills and the specified beginning and end points of each movement that characterize discrete skills

serial motor skills

an action or task that has a specific goal to achieve

skill

an indicator of quality of performance

skill

an indicator or quality of performance

skill

denotes an activity or task that has a specific purpose or goal to achieve

skill

a motor skill with arbitrary beginning and end points

Continuous motor skill-

usually involves repetitive movements

Continuous motor skill-

refers to the changing or maintaining of body location

body orientation

relevant environmental context features are stationary (which means they do not change locations during the performance of a skill)

Closed motor skill-

Why distinguish movements from skills? 3 reasons why !

1. people learn actions especially when they begin to learn or relearn motor skills 2. people adapt movement characteristics to achieve a common action goal 3. people evaluate motor skills performance and movements with different types of measures

2 characteristics of environmental context

1. regulatory conditions 2. intertrial variability

3 motor skills classifications systems that use the One-Dimensional Classification

1. size of primary musculature required 2. specificity of where action begins and ends 3. stability of the environmental context

terms related to motor skills

1. skills 2. actions 3. movement

for differentiating motor skills is whether the regulatory conditions are ___________ or ___________

1. stationary 2. in motion

3 features of environmental context

1. supporting surface ( on which the person performs the skill) 2. object involved ( in performing the skill ) 3. other people ( involved in the performance situation)

Gentiles broadened the One-Dimensional approached by considering TWO general characteristics

1. the environmental context ( in which a person performs a skills ) 2. the function of the actions ( characterizing the skill )

The stability of the environment context

1. the supporting surface 2. objects involved 3. other people involved in the environment in which a skill is performed

Stability of the Environmental Context Two main concepts:

1.Closed motor skills 2. Open motor skill

Practical Uses of Gentile's Taxonomy

1.Guide for evaluating motor performance capabilities, limitations, and deficiencies 2.Systematic basis for selecting progressions of functionally appropriate activities to increase performance capabilities overcome performance deficiencies 3.Chart person's progress - developing a profile of competencies

Characteristics of Motor Skills

A Goal Voluntary Use Head/Body/Limb Movements Be Learned/Relearned

Function of the actions characterizing the skill

Body Orientation Object Manipulation

Does the skill require the person to move from one location

Body orientation

the changing or maintaining of body position/location

Body orientation-

a motor skill performed in a stable or predictable environment where the performer determines when to begin the action

Closed motor skill-

performer initiates the movements involved in performing the skill when he or she is ready to

Closed motor skill-

- involve a stationary supporting surface, object, and/or other people; performer determines when to begin the action

Closed motor skills

evaluated by measures that relate to specific characteristics of body, head, limb, and/or muscle activity,

Movements

Skills that require object manipulation are more difficult to perform than skills that involved no object manipulation .....

Must manipulate the object correctly Adjust body posture to accommodate for the imbalance created by the object

Maintaining or changing the position of an object

Object manipulation

Complexity increases when a motor skill involves one or more of the following:

Open environment Trial-to-trial variability Object to manipulate Body transport

involve supporting surface, object, and/or other people in motion; environment features determines when to begin the action

Open motor skill -

a motor skill that involves a nonstable or unpredictable environment where an object or environment context is in motion and determines when to begin the action

Open motor skill-

to perform this type of skill successfully, performer must act according to the movement of a supporting surface, object, and/or other people

Open motor skill-

Environment context in which the person performs the skill

Regulatory Conditions Intertrial Variability

Characteristics of environment that control the movement characteristics of an action

Regulatory conditions

characteristics of the environmental context that determine the required movement characteristics needed to perform an action

Regulatory conditions-

example of object manipulation

a ball tool person reference to holding or using an object

a goal-directed activity that consists of body and/or limb movements

action

synonymously and interchangeable with the term motor skills

action

body transport includes

active and passive changes of body locations

walking involves the ______ ___________ of body location and stationary in a moving bus involves body transport

active changing

a motor skill that requires control of small muscles to achieve the goals of a skill

fine motor skills

examples of discrete motor skills

flipping a light switch depressing the clutch in a car hitting a piano key

gross motor skills are typically called

fundamental motor skills

examples of serial motor skills

gear shifting in a car

motor skill that requires the uses of a large musculature to achieve the goal of the skill

gross motor skill

Discrete motor skill- Examples:

hitting "a" on a keyboard throwing a dart flipping a light switch

Motor skill performance- Examples:

how far they walked length of time it took a person to run a certain distance

whether the regulatory condition during performance are the same or different from one attempt to the perform the skills to another

intertial variability

2nd environmental characteristic

intertrial variability

Movements Examples:

kinematic kinetic electromyographic (EMG) measures

movements are evaluated by

measures that relate to specific characteristics of body, head, limb, and or muscle activity

how our neuromuscular system and limbs involved in the performance of a motor skills

motor control

study of human development from infancy to old age with specific interest in issues related to either motor learning or motor control

motor development

interested in the behavioral and neurological changes that occur as a person learns a motor skill and the variables that influence those changes

motor learning

performance enhancement of learned or highly experienced motor skills or the requisition of skills that are difficult to perform

motor learning

study of the acquisition of motor skills

motor learning

activities or tasks that require voluntary head, body, and/or limb movement to achieve a goal.

motor skill

need to be learned in order for a person to achieve the goal of the skill

motor skill

require voluntary head, body/ limb movement to achieve a specific purpose or goal

motor skills

behavioral characteristics of specific limbs or a combination of limbs that are component parts of an action or motor skill

movements

component of motor skills

movements

indicates behavioral characteristics of the head, body and or a specific limb or combination of limbs

movements

make up or are component parts of motor skills

movements

2nd type of action function

object manipulation

refers to maintaining or changing the position of an object

object manipulation

Nonstable or unpredictable environment Externally-paced

open motor skill

most time the initiation of their movement with an external feature in the environment

open motor skills

motor skill performed that involves a non-stable unpredictable environment where an object or environmental context is in motion and determines when to begin the actions

open motor skills

performer must act according to the movement of a supporting surface, object and or other people

open motor skills

walking occurs in a hallways the object and or other people are in motion

open skill for walking

skills for which regulatory conditions are in motion are

open skills

standing in a moving bus which involves the ___________ _______ of body lotion involves body transport

passive changing

whether the relevant environment context features are stationary or in motion

stability

Continuous motor skill- Examples:

steering a car swimming using a joystick on a video game

examples of continuous motor skills

steering a car tracking a moving cursor on a monitor with a joystick swimming walking

classification system that is organized according to relationships among the component characteristics of whatever is being classified

taxonomy

taxonomy specifies that any motor skill must be considered in terms or

the environmental context in which it is performed the functional role it plays when performed

2nd dimension on which taxonomy is based

the function of an action

Serial motor skill- Examples:

typing a sentence shifting gears in a manual car

examples of body transport

walking running swimming

examples of gross motor skills

walking, jumping, and throwing

to classify a skill as an open or closed it is necessary to determine

whether or not there are objects or other people in the environmental context and when there are objects or other people whether the supporting surface on which a person walks is stationary or in motion