title: Sensorimotor control dynamics and cultural biases: learning to move in the right (or left) direction.
abstract: The nativist hypothesis suggests universal features of human behaviour can be explained by biologically determined cognitive substrates. This nativist account has been challenged recently by evolutionary models showing that the cultural transmission of knowledge can produce behavioural universals. Sensorimotor invariance is a canonical example of a behavioural universal, raising the issue of whether culture can influence not only which skills people acquire but also the development of the sensorimotor system. We tested this hypothesis by exploring whether culture influences the developing sensorimotor system in children. We took kinematic measures of motor control asymmetries in adults and children from differing cultures where writing follows opposite directions. British and Kuwaiti adults (n= 69) and first grade (5-6 year old) children (n= 140) completed novel rightward and leftward tracing tasks. The Kuwaitis were better when moving their arm leftward while the British showed the opposite bias. Bayesian analysis techniques showed that while children were worse than adults, they also showed asymmetries-with the asymmetry magnitude related to accuracy levels. Our findings support the idea that culture influences the sensorimotor system.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology , University of Leeds , Leeds LS2 9JT , UK.
authors.forename: Amanda H
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-9882-7206
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Waterman
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology , University of Leeds , Leeds LS2 9JT , UK.
authors.forename: Oscar T
authors.initials: OT
authors.lastname: Giles
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology , University of Leeds , Leeds LS2 9JT , UK.
authors.forename: Jelena
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Havelka
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology , University of Leeds , Leeds LS2 9JT , UK.
authors.forename: Sumaya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.affiliation: School of Mechanical Engineering , University of Leeds , Leeds LS2 9JT , UK.
authors.forename: Peter R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Culmer
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology , University of Leeds , Leeds LS2 9JT , UK.
authors.forename: Richard M
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-4299-7171
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Wilkie
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK; Bradford Institute of Health Research, Temple Bank House, Bradford Royal Infirmary, Duckworth Lane, Bradford, BD9 6RJ, UK; Norwegian Centre for Vision, The University of South-East Norway, Høgskolen i Sørøst-Norge, Postboks 235, 3603 Kongsberg, Norway.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mon-Williams
keywords: culture; development; learning; sensorimotor control; skill acquisition