Different individuals learn different solutions to the same perceptual-motor task regardless of the fact that they may undergo the same practice conditions. In the current study, we characterized individual solutions to a perceptual-motor task. Eighteen self-declared right-handed participants were requested to intercept a moving target controlling…

Music performance requires high levels of motor control. Professional musicians use body movements not only to accomplish and help technical efficiency, but to shape expressive interpretation. Here, we recorded motion and audio data of twenty participants performing four musical fragments varying in the degree of technical difficulty to analyze…

Purpose: This study investigated the age-related speed--accuracy strategies of children, adolescents, and adults in performing a rapid striking task that allowed the self-selection of the interception position in a virtual, two-dimensional environment. Method: The moving target had curvilinear trajectories that were determined by combinations of…

Examined asymmetries in movement behaviors of 36 full-term, newborn infants. The majority of infants had right-biased movement behaviors. Multiple subsystems, rather than a single asymmetric system, appeared to control asymmetric action of different body regions. There were sex differences in asymmetry of distal lower body movement behaviors that…

This textbook provides a scientific basis for the study of human motion. The eight chapters are organized under three major sections. Part One--The Force-Motion Relationship--contains chapters on (1) motion; (2) force; (3) types of movement analysis. In Part Two--The Simple Joint System--chapters concern (4) simple joint system components; (5)…

This booklet contains five research works on kinesiology, the study of the principles of mechanics and anatomy in relation to human movement. The first article explains the use of Web graphics in isolating five movements: effort, force, balance, flexibility, and swing. The process for pinpointing values on the Web grid is presented in two sheets…

This study of single-joint elbow flexion movements by 10 subjects with Down's syndrome (ages 14-19) and 6 control subjects concluded that there are no major qualitative deficits in the motor control mechanisms of individuals with Down's syndrome, but there might be problems with proper modulation of motor commands. (Author/JDD)

Speculates why animals have not developed wheels in place of inefficient legs. One study cited suggests three reasons why animals are better off without wheels: wheels are efficient only on hard surfaces, limitation of wheeled motion due to vertical obstructions, and the problem of turning in spaces cluttered with obstacles. (JN)

The developing directional preferences in writing and drawing that were observed in subjects between four years of age and adulthood suggest that two semiindependent motor systems are involved in writing: one for rapid and nonfigurative tasks, the other--which occurs later--for precision and symbolic functions. (Author/GT)

The papers presented in this book deal with the general area of motor skill acquisition and development. In section one, the first paper presents an overview of what has come to be known as "man as an information-processing system." Attention is focused on the transformation that the sensory input undergoes during central nervous system…

Explores how the body's biological clock affects the way musicians practice and perform. Delineates questions concerning this phenomenon. Discusses the implications for music teaching and focuses on areas for collaborative research between neurology researchers and music educators. (NL)

Intended for use in Florida training programs for caregivers of infants and toddlers with disabilities, this guide presents an overview of the Model of Interdisciplinary Training for Children with Handicaps (MITCH); offers a user's guide to the series; and provides specific information for presenting Module 9, which focuses on motor development.…