Ch 1-3 Basic Motor Learning Study Guide

Front 1

Affordances

Back 1

Action possibilities of the environment and task in relation to the perceiver’s own capabilities

Front 2

Attractor states

Back 2

Preferred state of stability or pattern toward which a system spontaneously shifts

Front 3

closed loop systems

Back 3

Mode of control in which feedback aids error detection and correction

Front 4

Closed skill

Back 4

Skills performed in stable predictable environment where the performer controls the performance situation because the object being acted on or the context in which the skill is performed does not change – examples: bowling, chopping wood, free throw

Front 5

Constraints

Back 5

A boundary that has a bearing on the movement capabilities of an individual

Front 6

Coordination

Back 6

The process of organizing a system’s available degrees of freedom into an efficient movement pattern that will effectively achieve a goal

Front 7

Deep attractor states

Back 7

Attractors function like basins in which observable behaviors pool. Depth indicates stability. These basins are characteristic of stable systems that are difficult to change

Front 8

Degrees of freedom

Back 8

Independent elements (human anatomical structure) that allow numerous movement possibilities; The human body’s numerous independent elements that produce abundant action possibilities; The number of independent elements in a system and the ways each element can act

Front 9

Degrees of freedom problem

Back 9

Problem of how we coordinate and control the available degrees of freedom to produce a particular movement

Front 10

Direct perception

Back 10

Process by which meaning is attached to sensory information. The form of perception used by the Ecological approach which views the relationship between perception and action as circular and that a direct relationship exists between the two.

Front 11

Dynamic systems theory

Back 11

A command center could not account for all variations and adjustments in skilled movement; Movement results from interaction of body, environment, and the skill; Describes and explains coordinated movement by emphasizing the role of information in the environment and mechanical properties of the body and limbs

Front 12

Event anticipation

Back 12

Prediction of what event will occur

Front 13

External attentional focus

Back 13

Focusing attention on the effects of one’s actions

Front 14

Fine motor skills

Back 14

A motor skill involving very precise movements normally accomplished using smaller musculature (fingers, toes)

Front 15

Fractionating reaction time

Back 15

Part practice technique in which skill components that are normally performed simultaneously are partitioned and practiced independently

Front 16

Freezing the degrees of freedom

Back 16

Strategy in which a learner fixes (freezes) the movement possibilities of a joint, causing the limbs to function as a single unit or segment in order to accomplish the goal of a task

Front 17

Functional movement pattern

Back 17

A movement pattern that will accomplish a specific task goal

Front 18

Gentile’s Taxonomy

Back 18

A taxonomy developed to understand the multi-dimensional demands a task places on a performer that categorizes skills into two general characteristic (conditions & action requirements)

Front 19

Gross motor skills

Back 19

A motor skill that places less emphasis on precision and is typically the result of multi-limb movements

Front 20

Hicks Law

Back 20

describes the time it takes for a person to make a decision as a result of the possible choices he or she has: increasing the number of choices will increase the decision time logarithmically; The higher degree of uncertainty in a given situation, the longer the time needed to decide which response to make; choice RT is logarithmically related to the number of response choice alternatives

Front 21

Indirect perception

Back 21

Process by which meaning is attached to sensory information. The form of perception used by the Information Processing Model and is considered indirect because the perception has to be processed and decided upon before the action is executed

Front 22

Internal attentional focus

Back 22

Focus attention on one’s own body movements

Front 23

Invariant features

Back 23

An element that is part of the generalized Motor Program - - thought to be relatively fixed from trial to trial; Three features:Sequence of actions or components, Relative timing, Relative force; Define the motor program

Front 24

Learning

Back 24

A relatively permanent change in a person’s ability to execute a motor skill as a result of practice or experience

Front 25

Motor ability

Back 25

Genetic traits that are prerequisite for skilled performance. The degree to which learners could potential develop proficiency in a particular motor skill depends on whether they possess the necessary underlying abilities

Front 26

Motor performance

Back 26

The act of executing a skill – includes Movement proficiency & consistency

Front 27

Motor program theory

Back 27

Command center in the brain thought to make all decisions regarding movement; A memory-based mechanism that controls coordinated movement

Front 28

Motor schema

Back 28

Abstract representation of a rule or relationship that directs decision making by assigning appropriate parameter values; Develops as result of accumulated experiences; Each movement attempt gives the learner information to guide future attempts

Front 29

Motor skill Defined

Back 29

Performed to achieve an objective; goal oriented; Require voluntary body and/or limb movements; Developed as a result of practice, and must be learned or relearned

Front 30

Motor time

Back 30

Related to fractionating RT; is the Beginning of muscle activity (EMG) and the Beginning of the movement

Front 31

Movement time

Back 31

Interval of time between the initiation of a movement and its completion

Front 32

Open skill

Back 32

Skill performed in an unpredictable ever changing environment. Performer will not be aware of what movement type is required until moments before making it. Example: fielding a groundball.

Front 33

Open loop systems

Back 33

A mode of control whereby an action plan is generated that contains all of the information necessary to complete a response

Front 34

Parameters

Back 34

An element that is part of the generalized Motor Program – they are more flexible and define the program’s execution to fit the specific situation

Front 35

Perception

Back 35

Process by which meaning is attached to information

Front 36

Perceptual motor skills

Back 36

One of two of Fleishman’s taxonomy categories. Includes precision, coordination, dexterity; Identified underlying motor abilities that are predictive of high skill proficiency levels

Front 37

Precues

Back 37

Opponent’s or Players cues, idiosyncrasies, and tendencies that can be anticipated and predict events allowing for advanced preparation and better RT – clues in the environment that can assist a performer in anticipating.

Front 38

Premotor time

Back 38

Related to fractionating RT; is when Stimulus is presented; Beginning of muscle activity (EMG)

Front 39

Reaction time

Back 39

Interval of time between the moment when a stimulus is presented an when a response is initiated

Front 40

Regulatory conditions

Back 40

Environmental factors that specify the movement characteristics necessary to perform a skill successfully

Front 41

Response time

Back 41

Time interval from the moment when a stimulus is presented to when the response is completed. (combination of RT and MT)

Front 42

Self-organization

Back 42

Spontaneous emergence of a movement pattern as a result of the interaction of everchanging organismic, environmental, and task contraints placed on the learner

Front 43

Serial skills

Back 43

A motor skill that is composed of a number of discrete skills whose integrated performance is crucial for goal achievement.

Front 44

Shallow attractor states

Back 44

Attractors function like basins in which observable behaviors pool. Depth indicates stability. These basins are characteristic of less stable systems and are susceptible to change

Front 45

Stimulus-response compatibility

Back 45

The extent to which a stimulus and its required response are naturally related

Front 46

Yerkes Dodson Law

Back 46

Related to the Inverted U principle of arousal. That a persons performance will increase with arousal but will then decrease as arousal continues to remain high. Optimal performance is achieved with moderate arousal. Attentional focus narrows as arousal approaches optimal levels:Zone of optimal functioning, Perceptual narrowing

Front 47

What factors influence attentional demands?

Back 47

Environmental complexity & Task complexity; Performer’s skill level; Number of cues:Few in number, Congruent feedback; Selective attention - Three rules influence how people allocate attention resources: Enduring dispositions, Meaningfulness of the event (a.k.a. cocktail party phenomenon), Momentary intentions/focused attention

Front 48

How is Gentile’s taxonomy used?

Back 48

Analyze skills; Develop progressions/lessons; Track Progress; Evaluate learner’s capabilities; Set goals

Front 49

How would attentional focus change with different skill, learner, and environmental requirements?

Back 49

learners should focus on Their own body’s movements (internal attentional focus), or The effects of their movements (external focus); An external focus of attention enhances learning and performance - This may not hold for all skills and with novice learners. More research is indicated.

Front 50

Motor learning

Back 50

The study of the processes involved in acquiring and refining motor skills; The study of the variables that promote or inhibit that acquisition of motor skills

Front 51

Motor Development

Back 51

How motor skills develop, and the process of motor development from birth to death (womb to tomb).

Front 52

Motor control

Back 52

The neural, physical, and behavioral aspects that underlie human movement

Front 53

Motor Behavior

Back 53

The umbrella term for the three fields of study of Motor Learning, Control & Development

Front 54

Discrete skills:

Back 54

Beginning and end points are clearly defined eg: Flicking a light switch, Throwing or Kicking a ball

Front 55

Continuous skills:

Back 55

Beginning/end points are arbitrary; repetitive in nature eg: Swimming, Running

Front 56

Serial skills:

Back 56

Collective sequences of multiple discrete skills eg: Starting your car