Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Does muscular weakness account for younger children's enhanced force variability?

Jacob J Sosnoff1, Katherine M Deutsch, Karl M Newell

  • 1Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, 207 Freer Hall (MC 052), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 906 S. Goodwin Ave Urbana, IL 61801, USA. jsosnoff@uiuc.edu

Developmental Psychobiology
|April 25, 2007
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Energy dissipation strategy in backward falls in at-risk older adults: evidence and implications for head injury prevention.

Journal of biomechanics·2026
Same author

Reducing frailty in frail people with multiple sclerosis: Feasibility of a 6-week multimodal exercise training program.

PloS one·2026
Same author

Fall Injury Avoidance Strategy Scale (FIAS)-Validation of a Scale to Quantify Fall-Related Protective Movements.

Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation·2026
Same author

The effect of optical flow perturbations on walking foot placement control in people with multiple sclerosis.

Journal of biomechanics·2026
Same author

High-Intensity Functional Training for Older Adults with Mobility Disabilities: A Feasibility Pilot Study.

Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland)·2026
Same author

Frailty, Disability, and Comorbidity in Multiple Sclerosis: Overlap and Distinct Associations with Quality of Life and Falls.

Multiple sclerosis and related disorders·2026

Younger children exhibit greater force control variability due to muscular weakness. While strength increases with age, other developmental factors also contribute to improved motor control in children.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental motor control
  • Pediatric biomechanics
  • Human motor development

Background:

  • Children's motor skills develop over time.
  • Force control variability is a key aspect of motor development.
  • Muscular strength is hypothesized to influence force control.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between muscular weakness and force control variability in children.
  • To compare force control in children and adults.
  • To understand developmental changes in motor control.

Main Methods:

  • Isometric force production tasks using index finger flexion.
  • Inclusion of participants aged 6, 8, 10 years, and adults (18-22 years).
  • Analysis of force output variability and time-dependent structure across different force levels (5-35% MVC).

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Younger children demonstrated significantly higher force output variability than adults.
  • This age-related difference in variability was reduced, but not eliminated, when accounting for absolute muscular strength.
  • Force control differences persisted across all tested force levels.

Conclusions:

  • Increased muscular strength contributes to improved force control in developing children.
  • Force control development in children involves multiple factors beyond just muscular strength.
  • Developmental changes in motor control are complex and multifactorial.