The impact of object carriage on independent locomotion.
The current study examined whether carrying objects in one's hands influenced different parameters associated with independent locomotion. Specifically, 14- and 24-month-olds walked in a straight path under four conditions of object carriage - no object (control), one object carried in one hand (one object-one hand), two objects carried in each of the hands (two objects-two hands), and one object carried in both hands simultaneously (one object-two hands). Although carrying objects failed to influence a variety of kinematic parameters of gait, it did affect children's arm postures, with children adopting less mature arm positions when carrying objects. Finally, arm position was related to walking skill, but only for older children when they were not carrying objects. These findings indicate that although a relation does exist between arm positions and gait parameters, this relation is easily disrupted by carrying loads, even small ones.
University of Toronto Scarborough, Canada. Electronic address: mangalindan@utsc.utoronto.ca.
Diane Marie J
DM
Mangalindan
University of Toronto Scarborough, Canada. Electronic address: marksch@utsc.utoronto.ca.
Mark A
MA
Schmuckler
University of Toronto Scarborough, Canada.
Shelly-Anne
SA
Li
D001132:Arm / Q000502:physiology; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena / Q000502:physiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D006225:Hand / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008124:Locomotion / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology*; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*
Arm guard position; Arm posture; Gait parameter; Object carriage; Walking skill