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Influences of grasp selection in typically developing children.
1Faculty of Health Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, United Kingdom.
Acta Psychologica
|March 6, 2014
Summary
Children develop end-state comfort in reaching, prioritizing comfortable final hand positions. Younger children balance this with initial comfort, while motor experience influences grip selection strategies.
Area of Science:
- Developmental psychology
- Motor control
- Human movement science
Background:
- Adults exhibit end-state comfort in reaching, optimizing final hand position even if the initial posture is uncomfortable.
- Children's reaching strategies differ, often prioritizing minimal initial hand rotation over end-state comfort.
- The development of grip selection and motor planning in children remains incompletely understood, particularly for multi-step movements.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate grip selection strategies in children (4-12 years) and adults during a reaching task.
- To examine the influence of movement complexity (1-3 steps) on end-state comfort planning.
- To identify developmental trajectories in the use of end-state comfort versus start-state comfort strategies.
Main Methods:
- Participants (children aged 4-12 and adults) performed a disc rotation task requiring reaching to targets.
- Movement sequences were systematically increased from one to three steps.
- Grip selection and movement strategies were analyzed in relation to end-state comfort, start-state comfort, and initial rotation.
Main Results:
- End-state comfort planning was observed across all age groups, with a clear developmental progression linked to age.
- Adults and older children (10-12 years) predominantly used end-state comfort.
- Younger children utilized a combination of end-state comfort, start-state comfort, and no initial rotation strategies.
- As movement sequence length increased, the reliance on end-state comfort decreased, while start-state comfort and no initial rotation strategies increased.
- All participants could achieve a comfortable end position in three-step movements.
Conclusions:
- The capacity for end-state comfort in reaching develops progressively throughout childhood.
- Motor experience appears to be a foundational mechanism for developing sophisticated grasp planning.
- Children's grip selection strategies adapt based on movement complexity, with younger children showing greater reliance on initial movement conditions.
