Explicit Aiming Strategy Decreases the Differences in Visuomotor Adaptation between Children and Young Adults

We examined the visuomotor adaptation of children and adults with and without explicit aiming strategies. Younger children were slower and less smooth in visuomotor adaption than adults. Specifically, in the course of adaptation and re-adaptation, older children had better movement accuracy than adults, while their movement speed and smoothness were similar to those of the adults. Explicit aiming improved movement accuracy for all participants, but also facilitated movement smoothness for younger children. The contribution of explicit adjustment was greater for older children than for younger children. These results show the ongoing development of cognitive functions and movement experiences in children.