Perceptual And Motor Skills

The Learning, Memory, and Perception of Perceptual-motor Skills

Three main topics are covered in this book, namely, learning, memory, and perception. The first section consists of seven papers and is devoted entirely to the learning of motor skills. The papers summarize the current state of perceptual- motor learning in general and highlight specific topics of interest to the informed reader. The second section is divided between movement memory and perception. In recent years there has been a decline in the popularity of movement memory as a research topic. However, some recent advances in cognitive science, and parallel distributed processing in particular, may now provide the basis for a renewed interest. The topic of perception never enjoyed the popularity that motor skill learning and/or memory for movement did. However there is now a clearer understanding of the perceptual processes and invariances that affect how we perceive the world. Others, like the renewed interest in signal detection theory and quantal reaction time, serve notice that the perceptual part of perceptual motor-skills is here to stay.

Motor Skills and Their Foundational Role for Perceptual, Social, and Cognitive Development

Motor skills are a vital part of healthy development and are featured prominently both in physical examinations and in parents’ baby diaries. It has been known for a long time that motor development is critical for children’s understanding of the physical and social world. Learning occurs through dynamic interactions and exchanges with the physical and the social world, and consequently movements of eyes and head, arms and legs, and the entire body are a critical during learning. At birth, we start with relatively poorly developed motor skills but soon gain eye and head control, learn to reach, grasp, sit, and eventually to crawl and walk on our own. The opportunities arising from each of these motor milestones are profound and open new and exciting possibilities for exploration and interactions, and learning. Consequently, several theoretical accounts of child development suggest that growth in cognitive, social, and perceptual domains are influences by infants’ own motor experiences. Recently, empirical studies have started to unravel the direct impact that motor skills may have other domains of development. This volume is part of this renewed interest and includes reviews of previous findings and recent empirical evidence for associations between the motor domain and other domains from leading researchers in the field of child development. We hope that these articles will stimulate further research on this interesting question.

Perceptual and Motor Development