title: The relationship between occupational form and occupational performance: a kinematic perspective.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examined, through kinematic analysis, the effect of occupational form on reaching performance. The hypothesis was that reaching performance would show an enhanced quality of movement in materials-based occupation (i.e., pick up a pencil and prepare to write one's own name) than in imagery-based occupation (i.e., pretend to pick up a pencil and prepare to sign one's own name) and in exercise (i.e., move the arm forward). It was further hypothesized that imagery-based occupation would elicit better performance than exercise.
  
  
  METHODS
  The reaching performance was measured, using WATSMART (Waterloo Spatial Motion Analysis & Recording Technique), by the variables including reaction time, movement time, number of movement units, total displacement, the amplitude of peak velocity, and percentage of reach in which peak velocity occurred. A repeated-measures counterbalanced research design was used with 37 female college students. Contrast analysis was used to test the hypotheses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Materials-based occupation elicited enhanced quality of movement performance, as compared with imagery-based occupation and exercise. However, exercise seemed to elicit better performance than imagery-based occupation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The practical implication is that materials-based occupation might be used to elicit enhanced quality of reaching movement in occupational therapy intervention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Therapy, Boston University, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: C Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Trombly
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D004538:Eidetic Imagery; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008606:Mental Processes; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D013997:Time Factors