Deck 5: Motor Control Theories

Question 1

According to Schmidt's motor program-based theory of motor control,the mechanism primarily responsible for the control of coordinated movement controls:

A) A class of actions
B) All actions involving limbs on the same side
C) All actions involving the same limb
D) Specific movements

Answer 1

A

Question 2

An understanding of motor control theory enables a practitioner to:

A) Identify performance problems
B) Develop interventions to overcome performance problems
C) Predict the effectiveness of intervention strategies
D) All of these

Answer 2

D

Question 3

An important difference between the open- and closed-loop control systems is that the:

A) Closed-loop system involves feedback;the open-loop system does not
B) Open-loop system involves feedback;the closed-loop system does not
C) Closed-loop system involves movement instructions;the open-loop system does not
D) Open-loop system involves movement instructions;the closed-loop system does not

Answer 3

A

Question 4

A good example of a "self-organizing system" is a:

A) Computer
B) DVR programmed to record a TV program at a specific time
C) Hurricane
D) Thermostat-based control system for heating and cooling a house

Question 5

According to the dynamical systems theory,which of the following define,or identify,a specific movement pattern?

A) Control parameters
B) Movement duration
C) Order parameters
D) Relative timing

Question 6

Which of the following skills would be under closed-loop control:

A) Throwing a dart at a dart board
B) Bowling a bowling ball
C) Shooting a bullet at a tin can
D) Driving a car

Question 7

An example of an invariant feature in Schmidt's generalized motor program (GMP)would be:

A) The relative timing characteristics of your signature
B) The absolute time used to write your signature
C) The absolute force used to write your signature
D) The muscles used to write your signature

Question 8

The shift from one stable movement pattern to another stable movement pattern is known as:

A) A control parameter
B) An order parameter
C) A switch
D) A phase transition

Question 9

Coordination should be considered in terms of body and limb movement patterns in relation to:

A) How the body and limb movement patterns can self-organize
B) Patterns of environmental objects and events
C) The characteristics of open- and closed-loop control systems
D) The invariant features of a generalized motor program

Question 10

According to Schmidt's motor program-based theory of motor control,which of the following would be controlled by the same generalized motor program (GMP)?

A) Hitting a golf ball and hitting a pitched baseball
B) Throwing a ball overhand and underhand
C) Using either hand to reach for and grasp an object
D) Walking and running

Question 11

According to a dynamical systems view of motor control,skilled action occurs on the basis of action units:

A) Acting according to motor program commands
B) Receiving commands from a control executive
C) Receiving feedback as movement occurs
D) Self organizing

Question 12

The action of throwing a dart at a dartboard is an example of a motor skill that is controlled by:

A) A closed-loop control system
B) An open-loop control system
C) Both open-loop and closed-loop control systems
D) Feedback

Question 13

In Shapiro and others' experiment on relative timing patterns in walking and running,a motor program-based theory of motor control would conclude that:

A) A motor program type of control mechanism does not control walking or running
B) Both walking and running are controlled by the same GMP
C) Each of the various speeds of walking and running is controlled by its own GMP
D) One GMP controls walking and a different GMP controls running

Question 14

The degrees of freedom problem,which the nervous system must solve so that a person can achieve the action goal of a complex motor skill,involves determining:

A) If an open-loop or closed-loop system is needed to control the action
B) The amount of force needed to achieve an action goal
C) The organization of muscles,limbs,and joints needed to achieve an action goal
D) Which environmental cues are relevant for performing the skill

Question 15

The degrees of freedom problem was first identified by:

A) Nicolai Bernstein
B) Franklin Henry
C) Stephen Keele
D) Richard Schmidt

Question 16

The dynamical systems theory indicates that skilled action is controlled by the nervous system constraining functionally specific collectives of muscles and joints,which are known as:

A) Coordinative structures
B) Degrees of freedom
C) Generalized motor programs
D) Motor units

Question 17

The world-renowned physicist Stephen Hawking stated that which of the following should describe a large class of observations and accurately predict the results of future observations?

A) Hypothesis
B) Model
C) Schema
D) Theory

Question 18

Which of the following types of motor control theories emphasizes the role of a memory representation in the control of coordinated action?

A) Chaos theories
B) Dynamical systems theories
C) Motor program theories
D) All of these

Question 19

In dynamical systems terminology,an attractor refers to a:

A) Complex movement
B) Motor program
C) Movement pattern stable state
D) State of coordination instability

Question 20

According to dynamical systems theory,the speed at which an action is performed is an example of:

A) A control parameter
B) An order parameter
C) An organizational variable
D) A stable state

Question 21

You perform a four-component movement in 10 sec,and then in 20 sec.If relative time is invariant,and component 1 takes 2.5 sec for the 10-sec movement time,component 1 would require ______ sec for the 20-sec movement time.

Question 22

According to the dynamical systems theory,walking and running represent two distinct ________ states of coordination.

Question 23

Coordinative structures can develop through practice.

Question 24

Cruise-control systems in cars are mechanical examples of ______ control systems

Question 25

According to the perception-action coupling literature,the reciprocal fit between the characteristics of a person and the characteristics of the environment that permit specific actions,such as stairs having the physical characteristics to permit stair climbing,are referred to as _____________.

Question 26

Angle-angle diagrams are a common way to display the coordination between two joints.

Question 27

The coordination between the two arms can spontaneously shift (transition)as swimming speed increases.

Question 28

Dynamical systems theories of motor control view the control of complex coordinated action from the perspective of ________ dynamics.

Question 29

According to a dynamical systems theory,the muscles and joints that act together to enable a person to reach and grasp a cup are known as a ________.

Question 30

Dynamical systems theory de-emphasizes the role of executive commands to the musculature and emphasizes the role of the ______ properties of the body and limbs.

Question 31

That people spontaneously change from a walking to a running coordination pattern at a certain speed demonstrates that patterns of movement coordination can self-organize.

Question 32

When we consider the assessment of movement characteristics associated with the performance of a skill,it is necessary to use the term coordination to refer to the relationship among the joints and segments at any specific point in time during the skill performance.

Question 33

The affordance concept suggests that we:

A) Perceive the environment with respect to the elementary properties of objects,surfaces,and people
B) Perceive the environment relative to our own characteristics (e.g. ,height,leg length,etc. )
C) Perceive the environment in terms of possibilities for action
D) Both perceive the environment relative to our own characteristics (e.g. ,height,leg length,etc. )and perceive the environment in terms of possibilities for action

Question 34

A traffic signal that is preset to cycle through the time sequences for the onset of the green-yellow-red light sequence is a mechanical example of an open-loop control system.

Question 35

Schmidt's Schema Theory is an example of a "central" theory of motor control because it emphasizes the role played by performance environment characteristics.

Question 36

The generalized motor program and dynamical systems theories agree on the source of relative timing invariance in human movement.

Question 37

An example of an invariant feature of a generalized motor program (GMP)is the overall speed involved in performing a skill.

Question 38

Perception-action coupling is an essential element in accounting for the motor control of open motor skills such as catching a thrown ball.

Question 39

An important coordination-related problem that a theory of motor control must provide a solution for is the ________ problem.

Question 40

According to Schmidt's motor program-based theory of movement control,relative timing is a(n)________ of a generalized motor program (GMP).

Question 41

There is unanimous agreement that the motor program and dynamical systems theories will ultimately merge into a unitary hybrid theory of motor control and learning.