Effects of increased complexity of visuo-motor transformations on children's arm movements

J. Bo, J. L. Contreras-Vidal, F. A. Kagerer, J. E. Clark

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

44 Scopus citations

Abstract

The effects of increasing complexity of visuo-motor transformations on movement were examined in 4-, 6-, and 8-year-old children and adults. Participants performed a 'center-out' drawing task under three increasingly complex conditions: (1) Normal transformation: The target, line path and hand position were fully visible, in the horizontal plane, throughout the movement. (2) Aligned transformation: The target and line path were displayed horizontally above the workspace, with vision of the arm/hand occluded. (3) Vertical transformation: The target and line paths were presented on a vertical computer monitor with vision of the arm/hand occluded. Results showed that with increasing age, movements became faster, straighter, and smoother. The 4- and 6-year-old children were more variable in their specification of movement direction than the 8-year-old children and the adults, and were also more affected by the complexity of the transformation. This suggested that besides the complexity of the visual transformation, the familiarity/experienced environment might also play a role in 'sharpening' the transformation maps represented in movement planning.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)553-567
Number of pages15
JournalHuman Movement Science
Volume25
Issue number4-5
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2006

Keywords

  • Internal model
  • Kinematics
  • Motor development
  • Movement planning
  • Sensorimotor transformation

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
  • Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology
  • Human Factors and Ergonomics

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