Protracted development of visuo-proprioceptive integration for uni-and bimanual motor coordination

Abstract

Sensory and motor processes undergo massive developmental changes over at least a decade in human development. Interdependencies between different sensorimotor control mechanisms as well as bodily abilities are difficult to assess when isolated experiments are tested in small age ranges. Here, we assessed coordinative abilities of 120 children aged 4-12 for the two hands or a hand with another sensory signal in multiple, highly comparable sensorimotor tasks. This multi-task approach allowed assessing the development and interplay of several aspects of motor control related to different coordinative requirements. Children were first able to symmetrically move the two hands, and only later to coordinate one hand with a proprioceptive or visual signal. The ability to strategically ignore sensory information was available last. The pattern of partial correlations among tasks suggests protracted, interdependent, chained development within individuals. NEW AND NOTEWORTHYDevelopment unfolds as a cascade: each new ability sets the stage for learning further skills in motor, sensory, cognitive, and social domains. Here, we charted the performance of 4-12- year-olds in six coordinative tasks that are all based on a common experimental paradigm but address three different sensorimotor-cognitive domains. This approach characterizes dependencies between multiple aspects of cognitive modulation in the interplay of sensory integration and motor control.