Mentally simulated motor actions in children.
The present study investigated the effects of age and arm preference on motor imagery ability. Children (groups: 6.5, 8.3, and 10.1 years) and young adults (22.4 years) physically or mentally performed a drawing motor task with the right or the left arm. Imagery ability, accessed by the timing correspondence between executed and imagined movements, was poor at 6 and 8 years but improved at age 10, and was robust in adults. The arm condition had no influence on imagery ability. We suggest that maturation of parietal and prefrontal cortices during development may contribute to improvement of action representation.
Laboratoire d'Etude de l'apprentissage et du développement, CRNS UMR 5022, Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France.
Xanthi
X
Skoura
Annie
A
Vinter
Charalambos
C
Papaxanthis
D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001132:Arm; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000502:physiology; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology