Edison de Jesus Manoel

Variability and the development of skilled actions

Consistency and invariance in movements have been seen as the essential features of motor skill development. This emphasis on the stabilisation of action has led to the neglect of the processes whereby skills are modified and reorganised into new and more complex acts, that is the process of adaptation. It is argued that variability of motor behaviour has a major role to play in this process and hence in the development of skilled actions. The significance of variability for open systems and its implications for development are examined. A distinction is made between error variability and functional variability, the latter being used in the solution of motor problems. Two experiments on the acquisition of a skilled action by children are reported. A sequential coincident timing task which permitted an operational distinction between the macrostructure and microstructure of the task was used. The results support the argument that with development the action becomes increasingly consistent at the macrostructure level and that this is achieved by maintaining variability at the microstructure level.

Modularity and hierarchical organization of action programs in human acquisition of graphic skills

If motor or action programs become modules with practice their defining features (e.g. relative timing) should remain relatively invariant in new tasks. To test this hypothesis 24 adults practiced a graphic skill over 100 trials and were transferred to a more complex task enclosing the practiced figure. The data acquired by a digital tablet resulted in total movement and total pause times to draw the figure indicating skill acquisition and variability measures of relative timing and pause time and sequencing referring to features that identify a module. Being transferred to a more complex task did not lead to significant increases in the time to perform the criterion figure embedded in the new pattern. Modularity was evidenced by the stability of relative timing and sequencing shown in the performance of the criterion figure. Hence, it might be that action programs become modules that are then hierarchically organized to form more complex skills.

Pós-graduação na educação física brasileira: a atração (fatal) para a biodinâmica

The present work aimed at the academic characterization of physical education in Brazil. First, a parallel was made between the history of academic characterization of physical education in North America and in Brazil. Next, the analysis of the areas comprehended by graduate study programs was carried out in the field around Brazil. A survey was done considering the field of concentration and its interface and links with the size of faculty, with research lines and with research projects. Physical education is the most preferred term to name the majority of the Brazilian graduate programs in contrast with the United States where Kinesiology is preferred. The analysis of the field of concentration yields three main subfields: biodynamics, sociocultural and pedagogical. Biodynamics takes precedence as one considers the size of the faculty and the number of research lines and projects always greater than the same variables in comparison with sociocultural and pedagogical subfields. This hegemony reflects a trend in which natural sciences-oriented research is privileged over human and social sciences-oriented research and difficulty in valuing the intervention, especially in schooling. This portrait resembles what happens in the US as some North American scholars from the sociocultural and pedagogical subfields have also identified difficulties in making their theoretical and methodological conceptions compatible with the hegemonic modes of thinking and investigation in kinesiology.

Para além dos indicadores de avaliação da produção intelectual na grande área da saúde

O presente artigo expressa as reflexoes que vimos desenvolvendo a respeito dos indicadores de producao intelectual da comunidade cientifica brasileira, com atencao especial ao l ivro. Como pesquisadores credenciados em Programa de Pos-graduacao em Educacao Fisica, vinculada a Area 21 na Grande Area da Saude, privilegiamos aqui o debate relativo as caracteristicas, limites e possibilidades dos indicadores para a apreciacao qualitativa da producao intelectual, em particular para aquela veiculada pelas Ciencias Humanas e Sociais no campo da saude, para este caso, as subareas sociocultural e pedagogica da Educacao Fisica.

Modularidade de programas de ação em indivíduos normais e portadores da síndrome de Down

Habilidades motoras sao representadas de forma abstrata em programas de acao. Uma vez formados, esses programas constituem-se em modulos que minimizam as demandas de controle motor em tarefas complexas. O presente estudo investigou se ha formacao de modulos na aquisicao de habilidades motoras em individuos normais e portadores da sindrome de Down. Participaram do estudo doze individuos divididos igualmente em tres grupos (criancas, adultos e adultos portadores da sindrome de Down). Eles praticaram a reproducao manual de um padrao grafico composto de cinco linhas retas, ao qual foi adicionado um novo padrao apos 100 execucoes. Os individuos portadores da sindrome de Down tiveram dificuldades para formarem modulos e seu desempenho foi similar ao das criancas. A ausencia de modularidade no comportamento pode explicar as dificuldades motoras muitas vezes enfrentadas por individuos portadores da sindrome de Down.

Organizaçäo hierarquica e a estabilizaçäo de um programa de açäo: um estudo exploratório

O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar a estabilizacao de uma habilidade motora grafica. Assumiu-se que a estabilizacao corresponderia a formacao de um programa de acao hierarquicamente organizado. Em conseguencia, que a macro-estrutura do programa seria mantida enquanto a micro-estrutura do programa variaria frente a pertubacoes. Participaram tres estudantes universitarias que praticaram 83 blocos de 10 tentativas, na tarefa de reproduzir um padrao grafico. No 80 bloco foi introduzida uma modificacao na tarefa. Foram utilizadas medidas relacionadas ao desempenho global, a variabilidade da macro-estrutura. Com a pratica houve diminuicao da variabilidade do nivel macro, bem como, coincidencia entre os momentos de inicio dos patamares das medidas de desempenho global e de variabilidade na macro-estrutura. Houve uma rapida recuperacao apos a modificacao da tarefa, posto que o desempenho retornou prontamente aos niveis pre pertubacao. Estes resultados estao de acordo com a ideia de que a estabilizacao implica na formacao de uma macro-estrutura consistente, i.e., de um programa de acao organizado hierarquicamenteThe purpose of this study was to investigate the stabilization of a graphic skill. It was assumed that stabilization would correspond to the formation of a hierarchically organised action programme. Accordingly, it was expected that the programme’s macro-structure would be maintained while the programme’s microstructure would vary in face of perturbations. Three university students practised 83 blocks of 10 trials in order to reproduce a graphic pattern. At the 80th block the task was modified. Measures related to global performance, macro and micro variability, were utilised. With practice there was a decrease in variability on the macro level, as well as a coincidence between the moments when the global performance measure and the macro variability measure plateaus began. There was a quick recovery after task, since performance returned promptly to the levels shown before perturbation. Those results are in agreement with the idea that stabilization implies in the formation of a consistent macro-structure, ie. of a hierarchically organized action programme

Integrating Fundamental Movement Skills in Late Childhood

The study examined how children of different ages integrate fundamental movement skills, such as running and throwing, and whether their developmental status was related to the combination of these skills. Thirty children were divided into three groups (Gl = 6-year-olds, G2 = 9-year-olds, and G3 = 12-year-olds) and filmed performing three tasks: running, overarm throwing, and the combined task. Patterns were identified and described, and the efficiency of integration was calculated (distance differences of the ball thrown in two tasks, overarm throwing and combined task). Differences in integration were related to age: the 6-year-olds were less efficient in combining the two skills than the 9- and 12-year-olds. These differences may be indicative of a phase of integrating fundamental movement skills in the developmental sequence. This developmental status, particularly throwing, seems to be related to the competence to integrate skills, which suggests that fundamental movement skills may be developmental modules.

Modularity and Hierarchical Organization of Action Programs in Children's Acquisition of Graphic Skills

The organization of actions is based on modules in memory as a result of practice, easing the demand of performing more complex actions. If this modularization occurs, the elements of the module must remain invariant in new tasks. To test this hypothesis, 35 children, age 10 yr., practiced a graphic criterion task on a digital tablet and completed a complex graphic task enclosing the previous one. Total movement and pause times to draw the figure indicated skill acquisition. A module was identified by the variability of relative timing, pause time, and sequencing. Total movement to perform the criterion task did not increase significantly when it was embedded in the more complex task. Modularity was evidenced by the stability of relative timing and pause time and sequencing. The spatial position of new elements did not perturb the module, so the grammar of action may still have been forming.

Combinação de padrões fundamentais de movimento: crianças normais, adultos normais e adultos portadores da Síndrome de Down

O presente trabalho teve por objetivo investigar como individuos com e sem Sindrome de Down combinam padroes fundamentais de movimento. O criterio adotado para identificar a combinacao foi a existencia de uma sobreposicao entre as habilidades envolvidas de modo que a transicao entre elas ocorresse sem interrupcao. Tres grupos (GC = sete criancas normais; GA = sete adultos normais e GSD = sete adultos portadores da Sindrome de Down) tomaram parte no estudo cuja tarefa era correr e em seguida arremessar uma bola de tenis o mais longe possivel. Os individuos realizaram tres tentativas e, os registros efetuados foram o padrao de movimento utilizado e a distância alcancada pela bola no arremesso. Por meio da analise das imagens em video foi possivel estimar a velocidade desenvolvida ao longo do trajeto de corrida. A maioria dos individuos combinou os padroes. Contudo, houve diferencas qualitativas nos padroes de combinacao apresentados. Os individuos adultos normais comportaram-se mais consistentemente. O padrao das criancas nao foi qualitativamente diferente dos individuos portadores da Sindrome de Down.

Pilot study on infant swimming classes and early motor development.

Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) scores were examined before and after four months of swimming classes in 12 babies (ages 7 to 9 mo.) assigned to Experimental (n = 6) and Control (n = 6) groups matched on age and developmental status. Infants from both groups improved their developmental status from pre- to post-test; the Experimental group improved on mean percentile rank. The sample size and the discriminative power of the AIMS do not allow conclusive judgments on these group differences, hence on the effect of infant swimming classes. Nevertheless, a number of recommendations are made for future studies on the effect of swimming classes on infant motor development.