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Updated: May 8, 2026
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The "Motor" in Implicit Motor Sequence Learning: A Foot-stepping Serial Reaction Time Task
Published on: May 3, 2018
Intraindividual variability in development of accuracy of motor performance
1a Department of Physical Education , University of Washington.
Journal of Motor Behavior
|August 23, 2013
Summary
Children
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Motor Skill Acquisition
- Human Movement Science
Background:
- Understanding age-related changes in motor skills is crucial for developmental studies.
- Intraindividual variability offers deeper insights into performance consistency.
- Previous research often focuses on mean performance, neglecting variability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age trends in children's ball-rolling accuracy.
- To examine the role of intraindividual variability in motor performance across childhood.
- To compare performance and variability between boys and girls.
Main Methods:
- Participants: 140 children (70 boys, 70 girls) aged 5–11 years.
- Task: Ball-rolling accuracy measured across multiple trials.
- Analysis: Assessed mean constant error and intraindividual variance, comparing age groups and sexes.
Main Results:
- Ball-rolling accuracy improved significantly with age for both sexes.
- Boys demonstrated superior accuracy and greater consistency (less variability) than girls.
- While variability decreased with age, the sex difference in consistency varied across age groups.
Conclusions:
- Motor performance, including accuracy and consistency, develops significantly during childhood.
- Sex differences in motor skill development exist, with boys showing advantages in this task.
- Intraindividual variability is a key factor in understanding age trends and sex differences in motor performance.
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