Effects of increased complexity of visuo-motor transformations on children's arm movements.
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.
Bo
J
J
Cognitive Motor Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-2611, USA.
Contreras-Vidal
J L
JL
Kagerer
F A
FA
Clark
J E
JE
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007699:Kinesthesis; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills; D009949:Orientation; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011930:Reaction Time; D012683:Sensory Deprivation