There are two causes of body movement. First, an external force can act on the person or animal; a strong gust of wind, for example, may cause the movement of living organisms. Second, through biological machinery such as muscles, force is produced internally, leading to movement. The truly interesting aspect of our movement within a
Motor control, in reference to movements of an organism or motions of a robot, is often conceived of as a computational problem. How is something or someone able to move to achieve various environmental goals? For human movement, in particular, the question of how individuals are able to organize the motor system at multiple levels
Motor learning is the shaping of individual sensorimotor capabilities by the physical and social environment. It is based on changes of neural networks of the brain that enable a relatively permanent improvement of performance, even though this may not always be manifest. Motor learning is induced by experience or practice and can take place with
When learning sequential movements, such as those involved in speech production, handwriting, typing, drumming, or sports skills, performers exhibit the ability to modify a learned movement sequence from execution to execution in some ways but not in others. This is thought to occur because a generalized motor program (GMP), which can be used to produce
Motor assessment plays a pivotal role in school psychology, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of students’ development and learning. This article explores the significance, historical context, and theoretical foundations of motor assessment. It delves into various methods and tools used to assess motor skills, including popular assessments such as the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency
Gross motor skills have traditionally referred to motor activities that move the body through the environment or use the large muscles of the torso, arms, and legs to transport or displace an object in some way. By contrast, fine motor skills have typically been described as involving the arms, hands, and fingers in acts of
F ine motor control refers to the ability to precisely move and position the limbs, extremities, and digits (especially the fingers). Examples of fine motor control include grasping an object between the thumb and forefinger, tying shoelaces, using a spoon to bring soup to the mouth, and typing. Fine motor control is essential to many
One cannot help but marvel at the accomplishments of a skilled pianist, athlete, or craftsman. Even those without exceptional proficiencies display remarkable abilities for fine motor control. As I am typing, my fingers are moving rapidly in varying order and with remarkable spatial and temporal precision. We all perform everyday tasks, such as tying our
Timing our actions is something we do thousands of times a day without thinking twice—controlling our eyes to read this text or reaching out to pick up a cup. To understand timing, however, it is first necessary to draw the distinction between the concept of time and timing. Timing is a human-made physical means of