ADAPTATION OF THE CHILD AT KINDER GARTEN – „MY FRIEND PINOCCHIO VISITING ME AT MY HOUSE”

Children’s play helps to gain sensory cognitive and motor experience, which is the basis for the development of emotional intelligent. Toys occupy an important place in the child’s play – not only as tools for its realization, but also as a means of expressing various social roles and relationships, through puppet theater and in particular the plush doll Pinocchio. The activities with the doll contributed to the development of the child’s intellect and the formation of a creative personality and healthy habits, knowledge about road safety and the various professions. Puppetry can help to create a number of everyday habits. The Pinocchio toy gave the children a sense of the magic of puppetry. Building trust by involving parents in the activities of teachers and children on the project and diversifying the forms of cooperation with the parent community and strengthening the relationship between the kindergarten and the institution „family“. The activities in the communication through the doll created conditions for easier adaptation of the children 3-4 years of age when entering the kindergarten.

How far can I reach? The perception of upper body action capabilities in Parkinson’s disease

Successful interaction within the environment is contingent upon one’s ability to accurately perceive the extent over which they can successfully perform actions, known as action boundaries. Healthy young adults are accurate in estimating their action boundaries and can flexibly update them to accommodate stable changes in their action capabilities. However, there are conditions in which motor abilities are subject to variability over time such as in Parkinson’s disease (PD). PD impairs the ability to perform actions and can lead to variability in perceptual-motor experience, but the effect on the perceptions of their action boundaries remains unknown. This study investigated the influence of altered perceptual-motor experience during PD, on the perceptions of action boundaries for reaching, grasping, and aperture passing. Thirty participants with mild-to-moderate idiopathic PD and 26 healthy older adults provided estimates of their reaching, grasping, and aperture-passing ability. Participants’ estimates were compared with their actual capabilities. There was no evidence that individuals with PD’s perceptions were less accurate than those of healthy controls. Furthermore, there was some evidence for more conservative estimates than seen in young healthy adults in reaching (both groups) and aperture passing (PD group). This suggests that the ability to judge action capabilities is preserved in mild to moderate PD.

Extensive Audio-motor Experience Can Calibrate The Egocentric Space In Early Blindness

Combining and integrating cues from different sensory channels is fundamental in developing a spatial representation of the environment. In the sighted population, the visual channel is essential in the spatial representation calibration; indeed, blind individuals show some impairments. One may compensate the vision loss to some degree by exploiting the associations between a movement and the consequent change in perceived auditory scene, known as audio-motor contingencies. The compensation extent is unclear, but evidence suggests that it depends on the amount of both visual and motor experience.To quantify the extent of audio-motor compensation in relation to motor and audio-motor experience, we tested the spatial representation skills of a long-experienced early blind 5-a-side football player. We focused on auditory localization performance and sensitivity to an audio-motor contingency alteration. The study compared the player to groups of early blind (audio-motor experience without specific training) and sighted blindfolded people. We also tested an additional early blind individual without extensive audio-motor experience but who lost vision at an older age than the player, to control the effect of early visual experience alone.Participants were tested on a set of steering tasks in auditory virtual reality (VR). In such tasks, participants would rotate a flying arrow towards an acoustic target. Rotations of the head or trunk controlled the arrow trajectory. Additionally, in some conditions, the relationship between movement and change of acoustic perceptual scene was altered to expose the participants’ sensitivity to the audio-motor contingency alteration.The early blind player performance was analyzed with classical univariate single-case statistics and a multivariate support vector machine classifier. Univariate analyses suggested that the early blind player’s trunk motion is early blind-like. However, the multivariate classifier interpreted his overall performance as that of a sighted individual. The multivariate classifier labelled the visually experienced early blind's overall performance as early blind-like. We concluded that extensive audio-motor experience could compensate for early vision loss for what concerns the sensitivity to audio-motor contingency alterations. These results support the idea that adapted sports for visually impaired people are useful to improve their spatial representation and, consequently, their quality of life.

Basic gymnastics as an effective means of enriching the motor experience of young athletes

The article analyzes and summarizes the issue of enriching the motor experience of young athletes in the context of basic gymnastics usage. It is shown that due to the constant internal development, gymnastics is a powerful and universal means of influencing human motor activity through a large number of different physical exercises. It is highlighted that basic gymnastics has passed a difficult path of historical development and arose as a continuation of the Swedish (general development) direction in the development of gymnastics, and its founder is considered to be the Dane Nils Buk. It is noted that basic gymnastics is aimed at the comprehensive development and strengthening of the human body, its mastery of the general principles of movement (formation of a school of movements), the education of physical, moral and volitional qualities necessary in all areas of human activities. The traditional means are the following groups of exercises: marching - joint actions in the order that promote the education of organization and discipline, accustom to joint organized actions, form the correct posture, make it more fit, agile, slender; applied - walking, running, simple jumps, throwing, climbing, carrying loads, balance exercises; general developmental, allowing a person to master such motor skills that he can use to build motor actions of any complexity; free - combinations of different gymnastic exercises in combination with elements of acrobatics and choreography; the simplest acrobatic - combining acrobatic jumps and balancing exercises, including static positions, as well as basic rhythmic gymnastics exercises, exercises in hanging and projectile stops, dance movements, games and relay races. It has been established that the more various motor skills a young athlete has, the easier and faster it is possible to teach him new motor actions.

It’s in your hands: How variable perception affects grasping estimates in virtual reality

Successful interaction within one’s environment is contingent upon one’s ability to accurately perceive the extent over which actions can be performed, referred to as action boundaries. As our possibilities for action are subject to variability, it is necessary for individuals to be able to update their perceived action boundaries to accommodate for variance. While research has shown that individuals can update their action boundaries to accommodate for variability, it is unclear how the perceptual system calibrates to this variance to inform our action boundaries. This study investigated the influence of perceptual motor variability by analysing the effect of random and systematic variability on perceived grasp ability in virtual reality. Participants estimated grasp ability following perceptual-motor experience with a constricted, normal, extended, or variable grasp. In Experiment 1, participants experienced all three grasping abilities (constricted, normal, extended) 33% of the time. In Experiment 2 participants experienced the constricted and normal grasps 25% of the time, and the extended grasp 50% of the time. The results indicated that when perceptual-motor feedback is inconsistent, the perceptual system disregards the frequency of perceptual-motor experience with the different action capabilities and considers each action capability experienced as a type, and subsequently calibrates to the average action boundary experienced by type.

Perceiving action boundaries for overhead reaching in a height-related situation

To successfully interact within our environment, individuals need to learn the maximum extent (or minimum) over which they can perform actions, popularly referred to as action boundaries. Because people learn such boundaries over time from perceptual motor feedback across different contexts, both environmental and physiological, the information upon which action boundaries are based must inherently be characterised by variability. With respect to reaching, recent work suggests that regardless of the type of variability present in their perceptual-motor experience, individuals favoured a liberal action boundary for horizontal reaching. However, the ways in which action boundaries are determined following perceptual-motor variability could also vary depending on the environmental context as well as the type of reach employed. The present research aimed to established whether the perceptual system utilises the same strategy for all types of reaches over different contexts. Participants estimated their overhead reachability following experience reaching with either a long or a short virtual arm, or a virtual arm that varied in length – while standing on the edge of a rooftop or standing on the ground. Results indicated that while similar strategies were used to determine action boundaries in both height- and non-height-related context, participants were significantly more conservative with their reachability estimates in the height-related context. Participants were sensitive to the probabilistic information associated with different arm’s reach they have experienced during the calibration phase, and used a weighted average of reaching experience to determine their action boundary under conditions of uncertainty.

Scientific Snterpretations of Learning Motor Actions of Preschool Children

The article analyzes the views of domestic and foreign scientists on important aspects of learning motor actions of preschool children. Preschoolers’ movement movements are characterized as a complex educational process, during which children under the guidance of an educator acquire the necessary motor experience. The task of higher education institutions is presented as the training of a highly qualified educator who will perform professional duties at the appropriate level in the process of teaching motor actions to preschool children. The essence and content of the concepts «activity», «motor activity», «motor action» are revealed. It is determined that the necessary qualitative characteristic of motor action, the formation of which is aimed at the educational activities of the educator, is the technique of its implementation. The main types of motor skills are skills acquired during various physical exercises, including basic movements (walking, running, jumping, throwing, climbing). Conclusions. 1. Teaching preschoolers movements is a complex educational process, during which children under the guidance of an educator gain the necessary motor experience. 2. Priority is given to the activity of an educator who plans, organizes and practically carries out the teaching of educational material. 3. An important task of higher education institutions is to train a highly qualified educator who will perform professional duties at the appropriate level in the process of teaching motor actions to preschool children.

A habilidade motora de chute: relações entre experiência, sexo e estágio motor (La habilidad motora de pateo: relaciones entre experiencia, sexo y etapa motriz) (The motor skill of kicking: relations between experience, sex and motor stage)

Resumo. O presente estudo teve por objetivo analisar e discutir as relações entre experiências motoras, sexo e estágio motor. A pesquisa é um estudo de caráter quanti-qualitativo com amostra probabilística composta por 140 alunos de sete a 10 anos. Nesta pesquisa participaram 72 meninos e 68 meninas com média de idade de 8.57 e um desvio padrão de 1.08. A coleta dos dados motores deu-se a partir do teste qualitativo descrito pelos autores Gallahue e Ozmun (2005). O movimento avaliado é a habilidade motora de chute e a sua classificação deu-se de acordo com os estágios motores (inicial, elementar e madura). Os dados sobre experiência motora foram coletados através de um questionário sobre a rotina diária dos participantes. Ambos instrumentos aplicados nesse estudo foram anteriormente validados pelo Método Delphy. Para a análise foi utilizado o teste de qui quadrado (associação de variáveis p≤ .05) sobre as categorias: experiência motora, sexo e estágios motores. Encontramos diferença significativa entre as categorias sexo e estágio motor. O presente estudo revelou uma defasagem motora demonstrada pelos baixos índices de proficiência do movimento. Os dados também apontaram para um desempenho motor mais eficaz do sexo masculino. Sendo assim, é importante repensar de que maneira se está desenvolvendo o estímulo e orientação motora (direcionada ou não) entre ambos os sexos em espaços onde eles vivenciam suas essas experiências. Resumen. El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo analizar y discutir las relaciones entre las experiencias motoras, el sexo y la etapa motriz. La investigación es un estudio de tipo cuantitativo y cualitativo con una muestra probabilística compuesta por 140 estudiantes entre siete y 10 años. Participaron del estudio 72 niños y 68 niñas, la edad promedio fue 8.57 años con una desviación estándar de 1.08. La recopilación de datos motores se basó en la prueba cualitativa descrita por los autores Gallahue y Ozmun (2005). El movimiento evaluado es la habilidad motora de pateo y su clasificación se realizó de acuerdo con las etapas motrices (inicial, elemental y madura). Los datos sobre la experiencia motora se obtuvieron mediante un cuestionario sobre la rutina diaria de los participantes. Ambos instrumentos aplicados en este estudio fueron previamente validados por el Método Delphy. La prueba de chi cuadrado (asociación de variables p≤ .05) fue utilizada para el análisis de las categorías: experiencia motora, sexo y etapas motrices. Si encontró una diferencia significativa entre las categorías de sexo y etapa motora. El presente estudio reveló un retraso motor demostrado por los bajos niveles de dominio del movimiento. Los datos también apuntan a un rendimiento motor masculino más efectivo. Por lo tanto, es importante replantear cómo se está desarrollando la estimulación y orientación motriz (dirigida o no) entre ambos sexos en los espacios donde experimentan estas experiencias. Abstract. The present study aimed to analyze and discuss the relationships between motor experiences, sex and motor stage. The research is a quantitative and qualitative study with a probabilistic sample composed of 140 students aged seven to 10 years. The 72 boys and 68 girls have participated in this research with an average age of 8.57 and whit a standard deviation 1.08. The collection of motor data was based on the qualitative test described by the authors Gallahue and Ozmun (2005). The evaluated movement is the kicking motor skill and its classification was made according to the motor stages (initial, elementary and mature). Data on motor experience were collected through a questionnaire about the participants' daily routine. Both instruments applied in this study were previously validated by the Delphy Method. The chi square test (association of variables p≤ .05) was used for the analysis on the categories: motor experience, sex and motor stages. We found a significant difference between the sex and motor stage categories. The present study revealed a motor lag demonstrated by the low levels of movement proficiency. The data also pointed to a more effective male motor performance. Therefore, it is important to rethink how motor stimulation and orientation (directed or not) is developing between both sexes in spaces where they experience these experiences.