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Effect of an interference task on a ball-hitting skill by 6- to 10-yr-old children
1UFR STAPS, Université René Descartes Paris 5, 1 rue Lacretelle, 75015 Paris, France.
Insights
Retroactive interference negatively impacts children's forehand tennis skills. While coordination initially improves with age, it declines after interference tasks, suggesting early inhibitory processes in motor skill development.
Area of Science:
- Motor learning and development
- Child psychology
- Sports science
Background:
- Motor skills develop progressively in children.
- Understanding interference effects is crucial for optimizing motor skill acquisition.
- Previous research has explored interference in adults, but less is known about its impact on children's gross motor skills.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of retroactive interference on the forehand tennis drive skill in children aged 6-10 years.
- To analyze developmental changes in motor coordination related to age and sex.
- To determine if interference mechanisms are present and how they interact with age and sex in childhood gross motor skill learning.
Main Methods:
- 145 children (6-10 years) performed a prime forehand tennis test, an interference task (frontal returns), and a probe forehand test.
- Children's forehand drive skill was assessed using a point-by-point developmental category evaluating body configurations.
- Multivariate analysis was employed to analyze coordination ratings, age, and sex differences.
Main Results:
- Boys demonstrated higher coordination ratings than girls.
- Coordination ratings increased with age initially, then stabilized.
- Coordination significantly decreased after the interference task, indicating interference effects.
- No significant interaction was found between interference, age, and sex.
Conclusions:
- Interference mechanisms are operative in childhood gross motor skills, specifically the forehand tennis drive.
- The decline in coordination post-interference suggests the onset of inhibitory processes, particularly noticeable in older children.
- While boys generally exhibit better coordination, the fundamental interference effect is present across genders and ages studied.
Abstract:
We explored the functionality of interference on a forehand tennis shot among 145 6- to 10-yr.-old children using the retroactive interference procedure. First, the children were asked to execute 10 forehand drives with a small tennis racquet (prime test). They were then asked to execute 10 frontal returns (interference test). The final probe test was similar to the first test, but children executed only 3 forehand drives. Children were assessed using a developmental category for the forehand drive skill. Each developmental step reflected a common sequence of body configurations exhibited by all individuals and was evaluated point-by-point. Multivariate analysis showed that boys had higher ratings of developmental steps of coordination than girls and that the rated developmental step initially increased with age before stabilizing. The developmental steps of coordination decreased after the interference task. We also showed that interference mechanisms are operative for this gross motor skill in childhood, but no interaction was found with age and sex. Post hoc analysis showed that developmental steps were not significantly different after the interference task for the oldest children, suggesting the onset of the inhibitory process.
