MEDI110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Primitive Reflexes, Motor Skill, Motor Learning
6 Aug 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Motor Behaviour
Areas of study within motor behaviour
Three areas:
• Motor development – change in motor behaviour over the life span (maturation), impacts of
learning on movement → occurs as physiological consequence of ageing
• Motor learning – learning of skilled movements through practice and experience
• Motor control – activation within the brain and spinal cord in planning and performance of
movement, and the CNS role in controlling movement
Stages of human growth and factors affecting growth +
Motor skill development and growth during childhood and adolescence +
Exercise performance in adults – when do we reach our peak?
1. Prenatal
• Embryonic → fastest stage of development:
o Organ development, cranial development, circulatory system (-5 weeks)
• Foetal
o 40% blood flow to the brain and upper body
• Foetal growth cab be adversely affected by:
o Malnutrition, drugs, alcohol, tobacco
o Chromosome and gene based disorders
o Radiation and chemical pollutants
o STD, infection and stress during pregnancy
2. Infancy
• Primitive reflexes (e.g. nutrition – sucking reflex)
• Locomotion
o Crawling
o Creeping
o Walking
• Manual control
o Reaching
o Grasping
o Releasing
3. Early childhood
• Fundamental motor skill development
4. Late childhood
• 6-10 years
• Transition of movements to games and athletic skills
5. Adolescence
• Sexual maturation
o Anabolic hormones increase
o Increased muscle mass (males)
o Advancing motor performance
• Sex differences
o Boys run faster, more adept to sports related skills
6. Adulthood
• Peak performance
o Dependent on opportunity and frequency of skilled performance
o Approx. peak age:
▪ 22-25 (women)
▪ 29 (men)
• Ageing
o Results in decreased cardiorespiratory, muscular and psychomotor function
▪ Physical activity and nutritional interventions can slow the age
related decay in motor function
▪ Intervention via motor skill practice can result in positive responses
e.g. increased:
• Attentional focus
• Cognitive function
• Motor unit recruitment
• Reaction time
• Fluid intelligence
Motor learning – stages of information processing
1. Stimulus recognition – identify environmental information
2. Response selection – determine correct stimulus response
3. Response programming – organise and initiate the action
• Information processing can be measured by reaction time
E.g. runner approaching hill:
- Runner sees hill in path
- Determines best way to correct technique to adjust to change in environment
- Leans forward and shortens stride
What have elite athletes learned?
• An opponents reaction time can be slowed by making the cues to the task more difficult
• E.g. tennis player:
- Stimulus identification: execute a number of different plays from the same formation
Document Summary
Stages of human growth and factors affecting growth + Motor skill development and growth during childhood and adolescence + Infancy: primitive reflexes (e. g. nutrition sucking reflex) Locomotion: crawling, creeping, walking, manual control, reaching, grasping, releasing, early childhood, fundamental motor skill development, late childhood, 6-10 years, transition of movements to games and athletic skills, adolescence, sexual maturation, anabolic hormones increase. Intervention via motor skill practice can result in positive responses e. g. increased: attentional focus, cognitive function, motor unit recruitment, reaction time, fluid intelligence. Motor learning stages of information processing: stimulus recognition identify environmental information, response selection determine correct stimulus response, response programming organise and initiate the action. Information processing can be measured by reaction time. Determines best way to correct technique to adjust to change in environment. What have elite athletes learned: an opponents reaction time can be slowed by making the cues to the task more difficult, e. g. tennis player:
