The Classification of Motor Skills and
Measurement of Motor Performance
MSR4107 Motor Learning and Control for Human
MSR4107 Motor Learning and Control
Performance
for Human Performance
Adapted from Magill et al. (2016)
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Learning Objectives
Understand the relationship between touch and motor control
Recognise how proprioception affects motor control
Describe how vision plays an important role in motor control
Understand how audition and balance contribute to motor control
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Touch and Motor Control
Cutaneous
System
Mechanoreceptors, situated
under the skin (dermis layer)
that receive sensory information
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Haptic Perception
Can recognize and accurately identify 3D objects via touch
Developed under the cutaneous system, and the greatest mechanoreceptors are found
in the fingertips.
Supports proprioception, perception & body movements
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How do we know what an object is when we have our eyes closed?
Tactile Information & Motor Control
Skin stretches or joint moves, which assists in the
estimation of movement distance
Tactile sensory information influences movement
accuracy, constituency and force adjustment
Sensitivity decreases with age
Peripheral neuropathy (damage/disease affecting nerves)
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Proprioception and
Motor Control
Sensory system’s detection and reception of movement
Considers the spatial positioning of limbs, trunk & head
The central nervous system receives information from (afferent)
sensory neural pathways (e.g., muscles, tendons, ligaments & joints)
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1. Muscle Spindle
Within fibers of skeletal muscle
(intrafusal)
Detects changes in muscle length
(stretch), velocity (speed of stretch),
direction & movement
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(A) The muscle
spindle is innervated
(B) A sudden
increase in load
lengthens the
extrafusal muscle,
resulting in muscle
spindle firing and
transmission of
sensory impulses to
the spinal cord
(C) Impulses are
sent back to the
muscle and causes
it to contract and
elbow joint returns
to original position
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Stretch reflex example is the kneejerk test.
When the patellar tendon is tapped
it causes a slight stretch in the
tendon and consequently the
quadriceps.
The result is a quick mild contraction
of the quadriceps.
Try it on yourself
2. Golgi Tendon Organ (GTO)
A protective mechanism that detects
a change in muscle tension and force
(not so much length)
Decreases muscle activation when
large forces are generated
(autogenic inhibition)
What is the benefits of this?
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Muscle
spindle
Muscle tendon
complex to be
stretched
Simple muscle stretch reflex arc: The stretch of the
muscle spindle causes reflex contraction
Golgi
Tendon
Organ
Inhibitory
neuron
Muscle tendon
complex
Simple inverse stretch reflex arc: The stretch of GTO
causes reflex inhibition (relaxation)
Can you think of
any further
examples?
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3. Joint Receptors
Several types of
proprioceptors located in
joint capsules & ligaments
They detect changes in joint
movement at the extreme
limits of movement and
position.
Can they be trained?
Proprioception in Motor
Control
(Tendon Vibration)
A procedure in which movement is
observed while proprioceptive
feedback is distorted rather than
removed involves the high-speed
vibration of a tendon connected to a
muscle that is an agonist in the
movement of interest.
This vibration distorts muscle spindle
firing patterns, which leads to a
distortion of proprioceptive feedback.
Deafferentation and Tendon
Vibration May Influence
Proprioception and Improve….
Vibration influenced the spatial
characteristics of circles drawn by the
vibrated arm, but not for the nonvibrated, nonpreferred arm.
- Movement and target accuracy
- Spatial-temporal accuracy, coordination and
coupling of limbs while performing movements
- Timing or onset of motor commands
- Postural control
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Vision & Motor Control
Preferred source of sensory information for beginners related to area of use (e.g., football – feet)
Research assessed participants when standing
in a room where the walls moved towards &
away, but floor remained stationary
This situation created a conflict between which
two sensory systems?
Why did people adjust their postures?
Lee & Aronson (1974)
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Neurophysiology of Vision
Vision results from the sensory receptors
of the eyes receiving and transmitting
wavelengths of light to the visual cortex of
the brain via sensory neurons (optic nerve)
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Neural Components of Vision
The neural aspects of vision
begin with the retina, that lines
the back wall of the eye, which
is an extension of the brain.
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TASK 1
Look in a mirror
Close your eyes for 10
seconds and when you reopen them look at your
pupil
What happens?
Task 2
Balance on one leg and raise the other leg to 90
degrees (for up to 30 seconds)
How long did you manage?
Now do the same with your eyes closed
How long did you manage?
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Monocular vs. Binocular
Vision
Changes the perception of depth, through
perceivably increasing the object distance.
This leads to a decrease in movement accuracy
and efficiency.
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Central &
Peripheral Vision
Central & peripheral vision work together
Central or foveal vision
2 to 5 o visual field range
Good for observing static or slow-moving objects, while
determining object size, shape and direction.
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Both central and
peripheral vision send
environmental
information via the retina
to the primary visual
cortex
Vision for perception
(central)
Vision for action
(peripheral)
AKA ventral stream –
from visual cortex to
temporal lobe
AKA dorsal stream – from
visual cortex to posterior
parietal lobe
Consciously analyses a
scene (e.g., form,
features)
Subconsciously detects
spatial characteristics of a
scene and guides
movement
Provides cognitive
information about objects
For visual control of
movement
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Perception – Action Coupling
Coupling – Linking of a perceptual event and action
Spatial and temporal coordination of body
E.g., Hitting a snooker ball
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Action Coupling - Measured by eye-movement technique
Point of gaze: Specific location which central vision is fixated at anytime
Temporal coupling: Timing of eye movements, gaze and finger movements
Spatial coupling: Point of gaze terminating on the target when the hand is moving to a specified
distance
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Duration of vision-based movement corrections
Average 100 – 160 m/sec reaction time to visual signal
Reaction time decreases if movement was anticipated correctly
Your opponent hits a forehand towards you
The speed is too fast to react
What do you do?
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Time to Contact – The Optical Variable tau
Duration till an object contacts a
person from a distance or through
expansion
This is subconscious, where your
body predicts when contact will
occur
Non-dependent on speed of
object or person
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Visual Pathway
1. Movement registered by the retina
2.Travels along the optic nerve
3.To the visual cortex
4. In parallel to the parietal cortex (dorsal) and along the sides
(ventral)
5.To the frontal lobe, which integrates with the planned goals
and formulates a specific action
6. Via the premotor and primary motor cortex
7. That sends the signal from the brain to muscles
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Measuring Role of Vision in Motor Control
Eye recordings
Event occlusion
Temporal occlusion
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Audition, Balance and Control (Vestibular System)
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Inner Ear Balance
Interconnections of the
semicircular canals and
cochlea called vestibule
help maintain balance
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Vestibular & Balance
Three semicircular canals
(frontal, sagittal, transverse)
lie perpendicular
Nerve impulses are sent by
vestibular nerves to the brain
stem, cerebellum, and spinal
cord
This is a relatively slow
system
Body, gravity and the head
position produce a reflex
action for corrective response
for balance
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Specific Application Problem:
You have been asked by your supervisor to evaluate the
performance of a recent knee replacement patient. What would
you expect to be the movement capabilities and limitations of
this person who now has no joint receptors in the knee?
Learning Outcomes
Understand the relationship between touch and motor control
Recognise how proprioception affects motor control
Describe how vision plays an important role in motor control
Understand how audition and balance contribute to motor control
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