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Movement Variability and Perceived Motor Competence in Children with High or Low Risk Willingness in a Virtual
Lise Storli1, Håvard Lorås1,2
1Department of Physical Education and Health, Queen Maud University College of Early Childhood Education, 7044 Trondheim, Norway.
Children (Basel, Switzerland)
|June 26, 2025
Summary
Children with higher risk willingness exhibit more adaptable motor behavior, moving with greater variability and speed. Perceived motor competence did not influence this risk-taking behavior in a virtual playground.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Motor Control
- Virtual Reality Research
Background:
- Understanding children's risk-taking behavior is crucial for development.
- Exploratory play in virtual environments offers a novel research setting.
- The link between risk willingness, motor behavior, and self-perception needs further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between children's risk willingness and their motor behavior.
- To examine the association between risk willingness, motor behavior, and perceived gross motor competence.
- To analyze motor behavior patterns in a virtual playground setting.
Main Methods:
- 96 children (7-10 years) were divided into high-risk-willingness (HRW) and low-risk-willingness (LRW) groups.
- Whole-body motion capture and virtual reality data were used to analyze motor behavior.
- Self-reported perceived gross motor competence was assessed.
Main Results:
- HRW children demonstrated significantly greater movement variability, including joint movement and exploration of challenging areas.
- HRW children exhibited faster speeds, covered greater distances, and had more frequent acceleration changes.
- No significant differences in perceived gross motor competence were found between HRW and LRW groups.
Conclusions:
- Higher risk willingness correlates with enhanced adaptability and flexibility in motor behavior.
- Perceived motor competence does not appear to directly influence children's risk-taking or motor behavior during play.
- Dynamic interactions between risk-taking, motor behavior, and self-perception are key to adaptive motor skill development.
