Power and precision grip force control in three-to-five-year-old children: velocity control precedes amplitude control in development |
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Authors: | Nancy L. Potter Raymond D. Kent Mary J. Lindstrom Jo-Anne C. Lazarus |
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Affiliation: | Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Washington State University, Spokane, WA 99210-1495, USA. nlpotter@wsu.edu |
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Abstract: | The aim of this study was to examine the development of underlying motor control strategies in young children by characterizing the changes in performance of a visually guided force regulation task using two different grip formations; a whole-hand power grip (developmentally easier) and a thumb-index finger precision grip (developmentally more advanced). Typically developing preschool children (n=50, 3.0-5.5 years) used precision and power grips to perform a ramp and hold task with their dominant and non-dominant hands. Participants performed five trials with each hand and grip holding the force at 30% of their maximum volitional contraction for 3 s. The data were examined for both age-related and performance-related changes in motor performance. Across ages, children increased in strength, decreased in initial overshoot of the target force level, and decreased in rate of force release. Results of a cluster analysis suggest non-linear changes in the development of force control in preschool children, with a plateau in (or maturation of) velocity measures (rate of force increase and force decrease) earlier than in amplitude-related measures (initial force overshoot and force variability). |
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