The Classification of Motor Skills Chapter 1 The Classification of Motor Skills

Skills, Actions, and Movement Skill is a task that has a specific goal to achieve (action goal) Motor skills require body, head, and/or limb movement to achieve its goal Actions are goal-oriented activities that consist of body and/or limb movements Common motor skills share these characteristics and need to be learned

Movements Behavioral characteristics of a specific limb or a combination of limbs 3 reasons for distinguishing movement from skills and actions: People learn motor skills and actions People adapt movement characteristics to achieve a common goal People evaluate actions and movements with different types of measures

One-Dimension Classification Systems Identifies skill characteristics that are similar to those of other skills Divided into two categories, each representing extreme ends of a continuum

One-Dimension Classification Systems, cont’d Three motor skill classifications that use one-dimension approaches (Figure 1.1) Size of primary musculature required Specificity of where actions begin or end Stability of the environment context

Size of Primary Musculature Required Two categories: Gross motor skills (requires the use of large musculature to achieve the goal of the skills, i.e., walking, jumping) Fine motor skills (requires control of small muscles to achieve the goal of the skill, i.e., hand/eye coordination) Some motor skills involve both types to achieve the action goal and would be located between the two points

Specificity of Where Actions Begin or End Two main categories: Discrete motor skill (defined beginning and end points, usually requiring a simple movement, i.e., flipping a light switch – a one-movement skill) Continuous motor skill (arbitrary beginning and end points; these skills involve repetitive movements, i.e., steering a car) Serial motor skill (involving a series of discrete skills, i.e., using a stick shift in an automobile)

Stability of the Environmental Context Two main concepts: Closed motor skill (motor skill performed in a stable or predictable environment where the performer determines when to begin the action, i.e., picking up a cup while seated) Open motor skill (motor skill involving a non-stable, unpredictable environment where an object or environmental context is in motion and determines when to begin the action, i.e., running a race with other runners)

Gentile’s Two-Dimensions Taxonomy Taxonomy is a classification system organized according to relationships among the component characteristics of what is being classified

Gentile’s Two-Dimensions Taxonomy, cont’d Two-dimensional approaches include: Environmental context Regulatory conditions which are characteristics of environment that control the movement characteristics of an action Intertrial variability refers to regulatory conditions during performance are the same or different from one attempt to perform the skill to another

Gentile’s Two-Dimensions Taxonomy, cont’d Two-dimensional approaches include: Function of the action Body orientation refers to the changing or maintaining of body location (body stability, body transport) Object manipulation results in change of the position of an object

The 16 Skill Categories The interaction of the four environmental context characteristics and the four action function characteristics creates 16 skill categories Table 1.1 will show the Gentile’s original presentation of taxonomy along with two examples of skill in each category

The Classification of Motor Skills Chapter 1 The Classification of Motor Skills