Effect of visual field presentation on action planning (estimating reach) in children.
In this article, the authors examined the effects of target information presented in different visual fields (lower, upper, central) on estimates of reach via use of motor imagery in children (5-11 years old) and young adults. Results indicated an advantage for estimating reach movements for targets placed in lower visual field (LoVF), with all groups having greater difficulty in the upper visual field (UpVF) condition, especially 5- and 7-year-olds. Complementing these results was an overall age-related increase in accuracy. Based in part on the equivalence hypothesis suggesting that motor imagery and motor planning and execution are similar, the findings support previous work of executed behaviors showing that there is a LoVF bias for motor skill actions of the hand. Given that previous research hints that the UpVF may be bias for visuospatial (perceptual) qualities, research in that area and its association with visuomotor processing (LoVF) should be considered.
Texas A &M University, Department of Health & Kinesiology, TAMU 4243, College Station, TX 77843, USA. c-gabbard@tamu.edu
Carl
C
Gabbard
Alberto
A
Cordova
D017677:Age Distribution; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006803:Human Development; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D013028:Space Perception; D014794:Visual Fields