It has been proposed that it is possible to decompose changes in variability of human motor behavior into 3 independent components: covariation, task tolerance, and stochastic noise. The authors simulate learning to throw accurately and show that for this task the proposed analysis does not give an unambiguous answer to the question of what the 3…

In this article I reply to a comment made by S. J. Guastello on my original article, "The Cinderella of Psychology: The Neglect of Motor Control in the Science of Mental Life and Behavior." In my article, I asked why motor control has received short shrift in psychology. I observed that it is ironic that motor control has long had the status of a…

Verleger, Jaskowski, Aydemir, van der Lubbe, and Groen (see record 2004-21166-002) and Lleras and Enns (see record 2004-21166-001) have argued that negative compatibility effects (NCEs) obtained with masked primes do not reflect self-inhibition processes in motor control. Instead, NCEs are assumed to reflect activation of the response opposite to…

Kinesiology has a long and storied tradition and history. The growth of our discipline and what might be called our subdisciplines has been the shining achievement of the 1970-2006 era, spurred on by Henry's (1964) call for an academic discipline. In this short thought paper, we argue that we have lost sight of the discipline in a quest to become…

The Skill Theme approach underlies the purpose and design of the movement maps described in this article. This approach promotes fundamental movement skill competence. Learning experiences are designed to accommodate the developmental needs of individual students. Further, an emphasis is placed on providing high repetition and variety through…

The primary objective of this position paper is to assess the theoretical and empirical support that exists for the Mayo Clinic view of motor speech disorders in general, and for oromotor, nonverbal tasks as a window to speech production processes in particular. Literature both in support of and against the Mayo clinic view and the associated use…

Argues that the developmental origins of actions are actions themselves and that a future-oriented mode of control is basic to movement at all ages. Suggests that, through active movement, children learn about changing and invariant properties of movement and about coordination with the external world. This learning constitutes the foundation of…

Comments on the article by von Hofsten in this issue by examining four of von Hofsten's propositions: (1) physical actions are expressions of self-organizing systems composed of bodily, task-related, motivational, and environmental factors; (2) the ability to perform actions develops with age; (3) action is situated in a total postural background;…

Planned physical education experiences should be an integral part of the preschool or kindergarten curriculum to: foster normal motor development, take advantage of children's readiness to develop and practice motor skills, fulfill children's need and desire for movement, and develop fundamental motor patterns. (CB)

The author discusses levels of psychomotor skill acquisition: perceiving, motivating, imitating, performing, adapting, and innovating. How these skills interact and how they affect the learner's ability to learn are examined. (CT)

Discusses definitions of learning disabilities and strategies for identifying and accommodating learning disabled adults during job training. (SK)

Individualized Education Programs (I.E.P.s), as specified by PL 94-142, attempt to guarantee that a person's past, present, and future needs are accounted for in their education. The author argues that persons responsible for I.E.P.s could profit from a developmental perspective. (MT)

Discusses contributions of Adolph's study to behavioral knowledge; it is an important study of the early development of a universal basic pattern of human behavior, illuminating how humans perceive the possibilities for action and learn to use them when appropriate opportunities are offered. Notes that the study addresses generalization of newly…

Discusses the important role of movement in Montessori early childhood education. Focuses on the cycle of movement: (1) free exploration; (2) concentration; (3) coordination; and (4) independence. Discusses the contributions of movement to abstract thought and presents information on current theories regarding the connection between movement and…

In this article, the author states that, when he teaches instrumental technique to beginners, especially in a general music class, he discovers that most students often do not coordinate their muscles effectively when they start playing a musical instrument. He specifically discusses teaching the students how to play the xylophone and techniques…