Motor Learning and Development

Pamela S. Beach, PhD, is a professor of motor behavior at State University of New York at Brockport (SUNY Brockport), where she serves as the associate director of the honors college. She is the cofounder and codirector of the Institute of Movement Studies for Individuals with Visual Impairments (IMSVI). Dr. Beach regularly publishes and presents nationally and internationally. Her research focuses on motor competence and balance in individuals with and without sensory impairments. Dr. Beach is the author of over 65 peer-reviewed publications and has presented at over 125 national and international conferences. She has also organized the International Symposium on Physical Activity and Individuals With Visual Impairments or Deafblindness. She has authored two previous editions of the textbook Motor Learning and Development, published by Human Kinetics, which has been widely adopted in university courses. Dr. Beach serves as the vice president of the National Consortium for Physical Education for Individuals with Disabilities (NCPEID) and has served as chair of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) Motor Development and Learning Academy and as a board member of the American Kinesiology Association (AKA). She has earned the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Roland Fontaine Award for Student Engagement from SUNY Brockport as well as the Corinne Kirchner Research Award from the American Federation for the Blind. She resides in western New York with her husband, three children, and two dogs. Melanie Perreault, PhD, is an associate professor of motor behavior and the coordinator of the kinesiology program in the department of kinesiology, sport studies, and physical education at State University of New York at Brockport (SUNY Brockport). She is also the communications director for the Institute of Movement Studies for Individuals with Visual Impairments (IMSVI). Dr. Perreault teaches undergraduate courses on motor development and motor learning and graduate courses on research. She received SUNY Brockport’s Honors Mentor Award and Faculty-Student Engagement Award in 2022 for her work with undergraduate student research. Dr. Perreault’s main area of research focuses on motor development in children with sensory impairments. She has published over 25 peer-reviewed articles and contributed to four books, including Lesson Planning for High School Physical Education and Motor Learning and Development, Second Edition, published by Human Kinetics. Dr. Perreault and her research team received the Corinne Kirchner Research Award from the American Federation for the Blind in 2020 and the Recognition Award from the CHARGE Syndrome Foundation in 2021 for their contributions to the field. She currently serves on the board of the American Kinesiology Association (AKA) and as a member-at-large for the International Motor Development Research Consortium. Ali Brian, PhD, CAPE, is an associate professor in the department of physical education at the University of South Carolina, where she serves as the founder and director of the Physical and Developmental Disabilities Research Lab as well as the founder and coordinator of the new adapted physical education master’s degree program. Dr. Brian has served as the chair of the Research Council for SHAPE America and as the vice president elect for the National Consortium for Physical Education for Individuals with Disabilities (NCPEID). She is also an associate editor for Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport and serves on the editorial boards for Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport and Physical Education and Sports Pedagogy. Dr. Brian was given the G. Lawrence Rarick Research Award by the NCPEID in 2021 as well as the Corinne Kirchner Research Award by the American Federation for the Blind in 2020. Dr. Brian is the author of over 50 peer-reviewed publications and has presented at over 150 national and international conferences. Her research focuses on establishing underlying mechanisms (e.g., gross motor, psychological, and social-cognitive development) that drive positive developmental trajectories for the health of children and youth with and without disabilities. Douglas H. Collier, PhD, is an associate professor in the department of kinesiology, sport studies, and physical education at State University of New York at Brockport (SUNY Brockport). Collier was a delegate to the Jasper Talks (1985), a significant policy workshop that became the catalyst to Collier’s career-long interest in motor development. For the past three decades, his research agenda has examined various facets of motor development that pertain to the education of typically developing children and those with identifiable disabilities. He is also interested in positive and proactive solutions to challenging behavior in school-age learners. Collier has presented his research at multiple national and international conferences concerned with the study of motor development and pedagogy. Over the course of his 24-year career in higher education, Collier has served in multiple leadership positions at local, state, and national levels. He is a member of the North American Federation of Adapted Physical Activity (NAFAPA), the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE America), and the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA).

Theory and Foundational Concepts

Chapter 1. Perspectives in Motor Behavior
Defining the Fields of Motor Behavior
Motor Control
Motor Learning
Motor Development
History of Motor Competence Research
Summary

Chapter 2. Theoretical Constructs in Motor Behavior
Information-Processing Theory
Ecological Approach
Dynamic Systems Approach
Summary

Chapter 3. Understanding Movement Control
Reaction Time
Attention
Arousal
Sensory Contributions
Memory
Summary

Chapter 4. Skill Classification
Skill Classification
Skill Versus Ability
Summary

Chapter 5. Stages of Skill Acquisition
Motor Learning Stages
Link to Dynamic Systems Approach
Practical Use of Learning Models
Summary

Chapter 6. Assessing Motor Learning
Indicators of Motor Skill Learning
Performance and Learning Tests
Games Classification for Promoting Transfer
Promoting Positive Transfer for Any Motor Skill
Summary

Life Span Physical Activity and Movement

Chapter 7. Infant Motor Development
Prenatal Development
Sensory Capabilities
Early Movements
Infants at Risk
Summary

Chapter 8. Locomotor and Stability Skills in Childhood
Fundamental Motor Skills
Locomotor Skills
Summary

Chapter 9. Object Control Skills in Childhood
Development of Object Control Skills
Summary

Chapter 10. Movement in Adulthood
Aging
Physical Activity
Self-Regulation in Physical Activity
Peak Athletic Performance
Movement Patterns
Summary

Chapter 11. Assessment of Gross Motor Development
Motor Performance Versus Development
Categories of Assessment
Summary

Individual and Environmental Constraints

Chapter 12. Physical Development
Nature and Nurture
Physical Growth and Maturation
Body System Constraints
Summary

Chapter 13. Physical Aging
Skeletal System
Muscular System
Aerobic Capacity
Cardiovascular System
Nervous System
Endocrine System
Body Composition
Sensory System
Summary

Chapter 14. Knowledge and Cognitive Constraints
Knowledge Constraints
Cognitive Constraints
Summary

Chapter 15. Psychosocial and Affective Constraints
Psychosocial Constraints
Affective Constraints
Self-Regulation
Summary

Chapter 16. Sociocultural Constraints
Gender
Race
Cultural Background
Disability
Aging
Summary

Designing Developmentally Appropriate Programs

Chapter 17. Developmental Models for Instruction
Motor Development Models
Sport Development Models
Summary

Chapter 18. Prepractice Considerations
Goal Setting
Demonstrations
Verbal Instruction
Directing Attention and Providing Guidance
Summary

Chapter 19. Practice
Variable Practice
Contextual Interference Effect
Practice Specificity
Part and Whole Practice
Distribution of Practice
Mental Practice and Imagery
Summary

Chapter 20. Feedback
Functions of Feedback
Types and Modalities of Feedback
Providing Effective Feedback
Summary

Chapter 21. Program Design
Gold Standards Versus Variability
Ecological Task Analysis
Summary