Basic components in the motor performance of children six to nine years of age

Six factor solutions (three orthogonal and three oblique) were used to extract factors from the intercorrelation matrices of 47 motor performance and physical growth measures obtained on 71 boys and 74 girls, ages six to 9.9 years. Twelve factors with eigen values in excess of 1.00 were extracted from both the boys' and girls' data. The six factors that accounted for a major proportion of the variance in both sexes were tentatively identified as (1) Strength-Power-Body size, (2) Gross Limb-Eye Coordination, (3) Fine Visual Motor Coordination, (4) Fat or Dead Weight, (5) Balance, and (6) Leg Power and Coordination. Similarity in the factor structures of the sexes was evident from the application of a procedure for the quantification of the relationships between factors extracted from data in different groups of subjects. With this sample of children substantial relationships were obtained between eight of the ten factors which were common to both sexes.