Perceptual-motor Measures Research Articles

Perceptual-motor function of school-age children with slow handwriting speed.

This study investigated differences in perceptual-motor measures and sustained attention between children with slow and normal handwriting speed and the relationship between these factors. Thirty-four slow handwriters and 35 normal speed handwriters (7 to 11 years of age) attending elementary schools in Taiwan were given three perceptual-motor tests and a vigilance task to assess sustained attention. Performances on these measures were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance and regression analyses. A significant difference was found between slow and normal handwriters in upper-limb coordination, visual memory, spatial relation, form constancy, visual sequential memory, figure ground, visual-motor integration, and sustained attention. The three significant predictors of handwriting speed for the slow handwriters were age, visual sequential memory, and visual-motor integration. For the normal speed handwriters, age and upper-limb speed and dexterity were the only two significant predictors. Slow and normal speed handwriters responded to handwriting demands through different perceptual-motor systems. Whereas upper-limb speed and dexterity seems to play an important role in normal speed handwriters, slow handwriters seem to rely more on visually directed processes, including sequence memory and visual-motor integration.

Differences in Perceptual-Motor Measures in Children with Good and Poor Handwriting

The concept that handwriting is primarily a perceptual-motor act is held by various authors (Chapman & Wedell, 1972; Furner, 1969; Sovick, 1975; Ziviani, Hayes, & Chant, 1990). However, the assumption that poor handwriters would perform less well than good handwriters on perceptual-motor tests has not yet been well researched. The purpose of this study was to examine this assumption as well as the relationship of perceptual-motor abilities to the legibility of handwriting. One hundred forty-three Chinese children in grades 3 through 5 served as subjects. Perceptual-motor tests that measured the abilities proposed to be subskills of handwriting were administered along with a handwriting test. Results showed that poor handwriters scored more poorly than good handwriters on most of the perceptual-motor tests. Regression analysis revealed that among the perceptual-motor measures visual-motor integration, as measured by the Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration, and eye-hand coordination, as measured by the Motor Accuracy Test, contributed most to the legibility of handwriting for the total group of handwriters. However, for poor handwriters, results of a stepwise regression analysis revealed that motor planning, as measured by the Finger Position Imitation Test, contributed the most to the legibility of handwriting. In contrast, for good handwriters, visual perception, as measured by the Test of Visual Perceptual Skills, contributed most to the legibility of handwriting.

Alcohol and volitional control on affect/sensation, cognitive and perceptual-motor measures

The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the hypothesis that one factor underlying the effects of non-pharrnacological variables on a given response to alcohol is the ability to exert control over that behaviour while intoxicated. Subjects were 54 male non-alcoholic drinkers who were randomly assigned to one of six independent groups created by the factorial combination of the independent variables dose (placebo, low, or moderate) and instructions (no instructions or ‘act sober’). The main dependent measures were cognitive and motor task performance and self-reported affect and physiological sensations. Results showed that alcohol strongly influenced motor performance and self-reported physiological sensations but had only minor effects on affect and cognitive performance. Subjects who consumed the low dose of alcohol were able to counteract only alcohol's effects on reaction time and feelings of egotism. Despite the overall strong effects of alcohol on their behaviour, subjects in the act sober condi tions perceived that they were able to counteract the drug's effects, and this resul t was most pronounced among subjects who drank the low dose of alcohol. The implications of these findings for the effects of non-pharmacological factors on responses to alcohol and for the prevention and treatment of alcohol problems are discussed.

Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency: A Viable Measure for 3- to 5-Yr.-Old Children

The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (1978) was examined as part of an effort to identify appropriate and feasible perceptual-motor measures for use with young “normal” children so that in future research developmental changes can be investigated. The test was administered to 24 children 3- to 5-yr. of age to assess its potential for discriminating among ages and between sexes. The investigators also sought to determine whether the short form accounted for a major portion of the variability of the complete battery. The short form and the eight subtests were significantly related to age, thus the Bruininks-Oseretsky can be regarded as an age-related measure through the 3- to 5-yr. age range. No significant sex differences were found on either the short form or on subtest scores. The short form accounted for 96.3% of the variability of the complete battery, so the short form can be substituted for the complete battery whenever appropriate. Evidence supports use of the Bruininks-Oseretsky as a viable measure of motor proficiency in children 3- to 5-yr. of age.

Reading and Perceptual-Motor Performance: Can We Strengthen Them Simultaneously? 1,2

The study attempted to ascertain whether a direct remedial-reading program would improve performance on a perceptual-motor test as it strengthened reading skill. Subjects were 119 intermediate grade pupils whose average reading achievement was more than 2 years below CA. They were randomly assigned to a remedial-reading program or to regular classrooms for instruction in reading. A comparison of pre- and posttreatment functioning on perceptual-motor and reading measures revealed that: (a) The experimentals' gain on the perceptual-motor instrument was significantly and dramatically greater than the controls' improvement on the same test; and (b) while both treatment groups' reading skill appeared to improve substantially, the experimentals' gain was not significantly greater than the controls'. Thus, the experimentals' more impressive functioning on the perceptual-motor test cannot readily be attributed to reading achievement. Nevertheless, findings indicate that performance on a perceptual-motor measure can be positively affected by a reading instructional program which does not explicitly employ perceptual-motor training. This seriously questions the belief, popular among perceptual-motor practitioners, that perceptual-motor functioning can be improved only through direct training. If perceptual-motor functioning is strengthened concomitant with, and indirectly by, standard remedial-reading instruction, educators may think twice about routinely assigning reading-disabled students to perceptual-motor training programs when the more direct method not only achieves the goal of perceptual-motor training but teaches reading skill as well.

Relationships among Perceptual-Motor Measures and their Correlations with Academic Readiness for Preschool Children

Kindergarten children ( N = 39) were administered 4 perceptual-motor tests and 2 academic measures in order to assess the relationship among the perceptual-motor tests and between the perceptual-motor and academic tests. Results indicated that the Shape-0 Ball Test and Frostig test were highly correlated and were good predictors of the academic measures. The dynamic balance task (stabilometer) correlated moderately with the Shape-O Ball Test, the Frostig, and the academic criteria. The Oseretsky tests did not correlate significantly with any of the other measures. Stepwise multiple correlation indicated that combining the perceptual-motor tests slightly increased their ability to predict each of the academic criteria.

Relationship between Perceptual-Motor and Academic Measures for Disadvantaged Pre-School Children

Relationships between the Shape-0 Ball Test, a perceptual-motor measure, and 2 measures of academic ability were determined. A group of disadvantaged pre-school children served as Ss. Results indicated that the Shape-O Ball test correlated significantly with the composite teacher rating but not with the Otis-Lennon MAT. These results do not agree with previous research in which pre-school children from higher socio-economic levels were Ss.

Perceptual-Motor Abilities and Reversal Errors in Children's Handwriting

A group of 7½-to-8½-year-old children who made persistent reversal errors in handwriting were identified in the course of a previous survey. The performance of this group of children on a variety of perceptual-motor measures was compared with that of a matched control group of children who made no reversal errors. The children in the “reverser” group were found to have a significantly poorer performance than those in the “nonreverser” group on only a few of the measures. The ways in which levels of perceptual-motor skill may affect handwriting achievement are discussed in the light of these findings.

Intellectual and Perceptual Motor Development as a Function of Therapeutic Play

Abstract Tests of intelligence and perceptual motor development were administered to 53 children participating in an 8-week physical developmental clinic and to 31 applicants who were waiting to enroll in clinic when space was available. The children studied were referred for reasons of poor coordination, emotional and social adjustment. A comparison of pre- and post-clinic test performance of the participating children, compared to the test-retest performance of the “wait-list” controls indicated that participants made (a) significant improvements in all perceptual-motor measures, (b) significant improvement in performance IQ, and (c) no significant improvement in kinesthetic and tactile perception skills.

Peabody picture vocabulary test scores of preschool children.

Two groups of preschool Negro children of poor parents were administered the PPVT, SB and other linguistic and perceptual-motor measures. Since the PPVT score was consistently lower than the SB, it was concluded that this test may be more susceptible to environmental impoverishment than the SB. Substandard performance on the PPVT was discussed in terms of (a) a cumulative deficiency in storage and/or retrieval of verbal terms and (b) an inefficiency in sustaining the correct mental set required in the multiple-choice format of the PPVT.