Motor control (unit 1) Flashcards
(160 cards)
Define motor control
The study of the neural, physical & behavioural aspects of human movement
Define Motor Learning
The study of the processes involved in the acquisition of a motor skill & the factors that enhance or inhibit an individuals capability to preform a motor skill
Define motor development
The study of the products & underlying processes of motor behaviour changes across the life span
What are the key issues in motor control?
- Degrees of freedom problem
- Serial order problem
- perceptual motor integration
What is the degrees of freedom problem?
How do we constrain degrees of freedom to produce coordinated movement; redundancy/ abundance
What is the Serial Order problem?
How do we sequence our time & movements appropriately
What is the issue of perceptual motor integration?
- How does perception influence behaviour?
- How does behaviour influence perception?
- Action slip: movement error in sequencing due to inattention
- coarticulation: accurate sequence + timing of movements in sequential tasks
how do we measure motor control?
Electromyography
What does electromyography show us?
movement patterns, amplitude of muscle activity & reaction time
What does the field of motor learning consider?
- how people acquire motor skills
- why do certain instructional procedures suit skills/ environments?
- What changes to performance might be observed when learning
What is coordination?
mastering the redundant degrees of freedom (movement possibilities of the musculoskeletal system)
coordination leads to ______, followed by____
as a result of….
control; skill; learning to refining those processes to move efficiently
How do we determine the number of degrees of freedom?
possible axes of rotation + directions of linear motion
What are affordances?
Opportunities for action within the environment
What are coordinative structures?
Functional relationships between parts of the motor system
What is redundancy?
There are meany different ways to achieve a task
What are the 4 main characteristics of human movement?
Flexibility
Uniqueness
Consistency
Modifiable
What is flexibility (a characteristic of human movement)?
Being able to achieve the same goal in a variety of ways (recruit different muscles & limbs; employ different postures & movements)
What is the principle of motor equivalence?
Left matches right (i.e. handwriting is the same no matter what limb)
What is uniqueness (a characteristic of human movement)?
Movement patterns are not rigidly constructed
No two movements are performed in exactly the same way (even if perfectly executed (subtle changes in posture & movement)
What is consistency (a characteristic of human movement)?
Stability of timing & spatial features across performances of the same task (movement pattern remains similiar)
What is modifiability (a characteristic of human movement)?
The capability to alter movement patterns in an unstable environment (modify movement to meet the ball in a better position)
What are the problems with consistency?
+ can’t adapt quickly want to be consist but flexible to adapt to environment
+ leads to overuse of specific muscle; joints; ligaments
What are 3 types of movement?
Timing mechanism: cyclic/ continuous movements
Discrete Movements: clear beginning & end
Sequential movement: group of discrete skills that form a complex movement