Developmental changes in the response to obstacles during prehension

Adults are proficient at reaching to grasp objects of interest in a cluttered workspace. The issue of concern, obstacle avoidance, was studied in 3 groups of young children aged 11-12, 9-10, and 7-8 years (n=6 in each) and in 6 adults aged 18-24 years. Adults slowed their movements and decreased the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of motor behavior 2005-03, Vol.37 (2), p.103-110
Main Authors: TRESILIAN, J. R, MON-WILLIAMS, M, COPPARD, V. L, CARSON, R. G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Age Factors
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Child development
Escape Reaction
Feedback (Response)
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Hand Strength
Hands
Humans
Motor ability
Motor control and motor pathways. Reflexes. Control centers of vegetative functions. Vestibular system and equilibration
Motor Skills
Movement
Spatial Behavior
Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs
Young Adults
Young Children
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Summary:Adults are proficient at reaching to grasp objects of interest in a cluttered workspace. The issue of concern, obstacle avoidance, was studied in 3 groups of young children aged 11-12, 9-10, and 7-8 years (n=6 in each) and in 6 adults aged 18-24 years. Adults slowed their movements and decreased their maximum grip aperture when an obstacle was positioned close to a target object (the effect declined as the distance between target and obstacle increased). The children showed the same pattern, but the magnitude of the effect was quite different. In contrast to the adults, the obstacle continued to have a large effect when it was some distance from the target (and provided no physical obstruction to movement).
ISSN:0022-2895
1940-1027