The problem was to ascertain the effect of proprioceptive feedback developed from an initial movement; and the effect of time delay between the termination of the initial movement and the beginning of the following motor response on the temporal accuracy and consistency of that response. Thirty male Ss were randomly assigned, three to each of the ten experimental conditions composed of two levels of proprioceptive feedback (small and large) and five levels of time delay (0.3, 0.6, 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0 seconds). In the minimal proprioceptive feedback condition, the proprioceptive feedback was manipulated in the right index finger of the S by the press-release of a response-button whereas in the proprioceptive feedback condition, it was manipulated in the right arm of the S by a passively induced and consistent movement of that limb. Both, of these sources of proprioceptive feedback ended immediately prior to the beginning of the time delay interval. It was the task of the S to lift his left index finger from the response-button after the delay interval under which he was timing had elapsed. Each S was given 50 trials with knowledge of results (his exact response time in milliseconds) on each trial and with an intertrial interval of 30 seconds. The results of the analyses showed the following: one, that the Ss learned to time the motor response within the first ten trials under the influence of knowledge of results; two, that proprioceptive feedback had no effect on the accuracy and consistency of the timing of the motor response; and last, that the time delay interval had a highly significant effect on the accuracy and consistency of the timing of the motor response where the accuracy and consistency of the timing of the motor response appear to be similar power functions of the time delay interval. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

The main purpose of this study was to determine the generality of the closed-loop theory and the preprogramming theory as an explanation for the learning and maintenance of performance in a highly practiced self-paced and ballistic response. The methodology used to investigate this problem involved comparing performance, following the withdrawal of knowledge of results, under changed or interrupted feedback conditions to a control condition in which feedback was the same as that in acquisition. Subsidiary problems involved 1) examining the effects of changing or interrupting feedback during KR withdrawal following low practice in acquisition and, 2) examining the differential effects of low and high practice in acquisition on performance in each response type during KR withdrawal under each of the three feedback conditions. The experimental task involved learning to move a cursor on a track from one end of the track to the other in 1.0 seconds. Two types of responses were used: 1) self-paced, in which the subject was permitted to hold on to the cursor for the entire length of the track and, 2) ballistic, in which the subject had to release the cursor after he moved it only about one sixth of the track distance. Sixty students of the University of British Columbia served as subjects. The results indicated that the preprogramming theory explained the learning and maintenance of performance in a highly practiced ballistic response, while the closed-loop theory was most applicable to the highly practiced self-paced response. Secondly, after 15 trials of practice in acquisition both response types were dependent on feedback, but the amount of feedback necessary was much less in the ballistic response than in the self-paced response. Thirdly, in the ballistic response, a comparison of performance in KR withdrawal following a small amount of practice in acquisition with that following a large amount of practice indicated that there was a transition from a primitive preprogramming mechanism which was somewhat dependent on feedback to a well developed preprogrammed mechanism which was not dependent on feedback. Finally, a closed-loop mechanism was suggested for the self-paced response following both small and large amounts of practice in acquisition. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

The California Test of Mental Maturity - Long Form Level 2 and the Iowa-Brace Test of Motor Educability were administered to 112 girls from grade five classes in seven randomly selected city schools of Vancouver, British Columbia. The scores obtained on both tests were slightly higher than those expected in the normal population. A small positive relationship (0.30) was found between total Iowa-Brace scores and total IQ. The correlation of the Non-Language Section IQ of the California Test of Mental Maturity with Iowa-Brace total score was significantly (0.02) higher than that obtained when the Language section IQ was correlated with total Iowa-Brace. Principal component analysis of the Iowa-Brace Test isolated five factors accounting for 6.7 per cent of the test variance. Only one of these factors showed any relationship to the five factors of the California Test of Mental Maturity. Factor V showed low positive correlations with the Logical Reasoning and Spatial Relations factors. No practically useful relationship seems to exist between the Iowa-Brace Motor Educability Test and the California Test of Mental Maturity. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

An investigation was made to determine the effect of practice schedules on the performance and learning of high, medium, and low ability subjects (Ss) on the pursuit rotor. Fifty-eight men were rank ordered according to their initial scores and then systematically assigned to one of three practice conditions in order to make the groups equal in regards to initial scores. Sixty women were also rank ordered and systematically assigned to one of the three practice groups. The Ss in each of the three practice groups were subdivided into three ability groups. There were thirty-eight Ss in the distributed practice group and forty Ss in each of the two massed practice groups. On Day 1 of practice those Ss who received a distributed practice schedule (DP) had sixteen 20-second trials with 20 seconds of rest between each trial; those Ss who received one type of massed practice (MPl) had four 80-second trials with 20 seconds rest; and, those Ss who received a second type of massed practice (MP2) had eight 40-second trials with 20 second rest. No significant difference in the mean performance time on target scores or number of hits was found among the three practice groups and there was no significant differential effect of practice schedule attributable to initial ability level on Day 1. After a twenty-four hour rest, all Ss received a distributed practice schedule of fifteen 20-second practice periods and 20 seconds interpolated rest between each practice trial. Reminiscence was not found to be related to practice, ability, or sex. Again no significant difference in the mean performance time on target score or number of hits was found among practice groups and there was no significant interaction between practice schedule and ability level. There was, however, a significant linear trend interaction between the medium ability and low ability groups under DP and the medium and low ability groups under the average of MP1 and MP2. Men and women differed initially in time on target scores and number of hits and they differed again at the end of practice in number of hits. A significant interaction between ability and sex was found for reminiscence and for the final score for number of hits. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

This study examined the effects of Instruction in transfer of children's Pursuit Rotor motor learning. In addition, the validity of the schema theory was examined. Two learning variables were employed during the learning activities: Instruction with two treatment levels (LTI vs. LIO), and Task Variability with three types of task variations (SPV vs. SV vs. PV). The performance of the learners were measured in terms of the Amount of Time on Target and the Number of Hits on Pursuit Rotor. A 2 (Instruction) by 3 (Task) by 4 (blocks) repeated measure design was adopted for analysing data of the learning activities. Two additional moderator variables of Rest Interval (5 minutes vs. 30 seconds) and Shift of Hands (shifted vs. not-shifted) were included in the design for evaluating transfer effects. The effects of learning and moderator variables were examined. The LTI treatment groups performed the transfer task significantly better than the LIO. There was no significant main effect for the task variability. Only the interaction of Task, Rest, and Shift of Hands was statistically significant. It means that the predicted effect of the task variability is observable only under the limiting condition of 30 seconds period and with hand not shifted (i.e., unilateral transfer). It is concluded that the observed effects of Instruction and Task Variability can be explained by the schema theory. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

Previous physiological work has established that factors such as power and status modulate the motor resonance system. Motor resonance is classified as motor activity that occurs during action observation in the absence of action execution. However, no previous work has explored whether these factors have downstream behavioural effects on automatic imitation using a community sample (as opposed to a university student sample). In addition, no prior work has examined whether online social hierarchies (as opposed to real-world social hierarchies) also modulate this system. As such, this dissertation aims to corroborate and extend on previous physiological work in the field and explore whether online status has similar downstream effects on motor resonance compared to previously documented effects of offline (real-world) status using behavioural and physiological methods. In chapters 2-3, I provide evidence from community-based behavioural studies that suggest high socioeconomic status (SES) and high power individuals are less susceptible to automatically imitating “other-oriented” social stimuli compared to their low SES and low power counterparts. In chapters 4-5, I show that Instagram followers exhibit significantly greater motor cortical output (via transcranial magnetic stimulation induced motor-evoked potentials) during action observation compared to Instagram leaders. I also show that this effect can be extended behaviourally using the automatic imitation task, whereby Instagram leaders are less susceptible to automatically imitating “other-oriented” social stimuli compared to Instagram followers. In chapter 6, I begin to explore the effect of online status on behavioural mimicry. I show that Instagram leaders exhibit reduced behavioural mimicry during an online interaction compared to Instagram followers. In the final chapter of this dissertation, I summarize the contributions and limitations of each chapter and recommend future avenues of research. Overall, this dissertation furthers our understanding on how online and offline social hierarchies modulate the motor resonance system using behavioural and physiological methods. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

An examination into the influence of observed gaze cues on motor output. / Richardson and colleagues (2013) demonstrated oculo-manual spatial interference by finding that the finger trajectory in a vertical tapping task deviated toward the direction of a concurrent saccade. It was proposed that the entrainment of the hand to the eyes was in part a function of generalized motor planning. Human action observation research has shown that cortical motor planning is also active during action observation (e.g. Buccino et al. 2001; Decety et al. 1997), which can lead to other forms of spatial interference (Kilner et al 2003). We hypothesized that because motor planning subserves both observation and execution of action, simply observing the horizontal saccades of another person would cause sufficient recruitment of oculomotor planning structures, that would result in finger tap trajectory deviations toward the direction of the observed saccade (but would not do so in a non-biological observation control condition).19 participants performed 24 trials of vertical finger taps under three different visual conditions. They were required to: a) saccade horizontally between targets; b) fixate on a biological stimulus (i.e. a video of horizontally saccading human eyes); or c) fixate on a non-biological control stimulus (horizontally moving black dots) while tapping their finger to an auditory metronome beat presented at a 750ms intervals. Results from the saccading condition replicate Richardson et al’s (2013) entrainment effect. That is, finger taps deviated to the left when participants saccaded left, and to the right when executed with a rightward saccade. Contrary to expectations however, there was no entrainment induced by observing either the biological stimulus or the control stimulus. This suggests that competing motor plans (eyes and hands) are necessary to induce interference. Further, simply observing eye movements do not recruit the same oculomotor planning networks as action execution. / Thesis / Master of Science in Kinesiology

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Accelerometers were used to measure evoked peak limb acceleration (EPLA) for the fourth (index) finger. EPLAs were used to investigate force properties of motor units (MUs) and estimate their numbers in the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) through clustering in the force versus stimulus amplitude relationship. This system was semi-automated using a personal computer with A/D and D/A facilities. Upon repeated excitation, some MUs would potentiate and increase their force contribution by 3 to 4 times. It was found that MU number estimation procedures based on force that do not consider twitch potentiation may be underestimating MU numbers. A disadvantage of using EPLA for MU estimation is that sensitivity may vary between subjects due to finger weight and joint dynamics. / Thesis / Master of Engineering (MEngr)

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / PROBLEM.-- The study is concerned with the construction and evaluation of a motor educability battery and its relation to rate of motor learning; the motor educability battery is specifically established for sixth grade boys and girls, ages 11 and 12 years. PURPOSES.-- The purposes of the study are: 1. To formulate a battery of motor skills to be used to measure rate of motor learning (criterion). 2. To formulate a motor educability battery using rate of motor learning as the criterion. 3. To compare existing batteries of motor educability with the criterion. 4. To conpare Teacher Rating of motor educability with the criterion. 5. To compare Intelligence with the criterion. 6. To determine any significant differences between rate of motor learning of boys and rate of motor learning of girls. METHOD.-- From 37 motor skills, four were selected: 1) Lacrosse Throw and Catch Motor Skill, 2) Cup-Catch Motor Skill, 3) Balance Board Motor Skill, and 4) Backward Stilt Walk Motor Skill. In measuring rate of motor learning, an attempt was made to start from a practical zero point of experience in the motor skills. Participants who had prior practice or related experience on any of the four selected motor skills were dropped from the study. The motor skill learning for each of the four skills was measured from initial experience to its completion, the score for each skill being the number of trials neceswary for its successfUl completion. The score on each of the four skills for each subject was combined into a Gross Motor Learning Score; this score was the criterion against which the motor educability test items were compared. From 88 motor educability test items collected, twenty-five items with the highest correlation coefficients with the Gross Motor Learning Score were selected to form the Preliminary Motor Educability Battery. By means of statistical analysis, seven of these items were chosen to form the final battery of motor educability (Thornton Battery). By means of statistical analysis, the existing nine motor educability batteries, Teacher Rating of motor educability, and Intelligence were compared with the Gross Motor Learning Score (criterion). Differences in motor learning rates of boys and of girls were also studied. [TRUNCATED] / 2031-01-01