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Quantifying Learning in Young Infants: Tracking Leg Actions During a Discovery-learning Task
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A Developmental Explanation For Children's Motor behavior.

J R Thomas1, P R Bender

  • 1a Movement Science Program , Florida State University.

Journal of Motor Behavior
|August 22, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Pascual-Leone's neo-Piagetian theory explains children's motor skill development. Structural mental space accounts for developmental changes, while functional mental space explains individual differences in performance.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Child Motor Skill Acquisition

Background:

  • Pascual-Leone's (1970) neo-Piagetian theory offers a framework for understanding cognitive development.
  • Children's skill acquisition in tasks can be explained by developmental stages and individual processing differences.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test the applicability of neo-Piagetian theory to children's skill acquisition in a curvilinear positioning task.
  • To investigate the roles of structural and functional mental space in explaining developmental and individual differences.

Main Methods:

  • Two experiments involving 6-year-old (late pre-operational) and 8-year-old (early concrete) children (n=40).
  • Participants were categorized as low or high M-processors using the Children's Embedded Figures Test.
  • Children performed curvilinear positioning tasks of varying complexity (2- to 4-scheme) with and without visual information processing.

Main Results:

  • Both experiments supported neo-Piagetian predictions.
  • Structural mental space explained the developmental progression of motor skill acquisition.
  • Functional mental space accounted for individual performance variations within developmental stages.

Conclusions:

  • Neo-Piagetian theory effectively explains both developmental changes and individual differences in children's motor skill learning.
  • The concepts of structural and functional mental space provide a robust framework for understanding skill acquisition.