Environmental Factors and Motor Development in Children

Research on Environmental Stimulation

Trends in environmental research include:

• Deprivation studies: Observing the effects of sensory or social deprivation (e.g., Hopi Indians, orphanage studies).
• Experimental treatments: Utilizing experimental and control groups, such as McGraw’s study on twins, to determine if motor task training accelerates skill acquisition.

Results of Investigations

• Motor behaviors are not primarily controlled by the cortex and are minimally influenced by early practice.
• Rudimentary skills (rolling, crawling, walking) are not perfected through early practice alone.
• Motor skills rely on both maturation and the necessity of learning and practice.
• There is evidence of critical periods where early practice is most effective.

Criticality and Sensitivity in Motor Development

Observing child motor development reveals periods of rapid growth that are highly sensitive to external influences. Children adopted before six months of age manifest fewer psychological problems.

Key Concepts

• Sensitive Period: Moments in development where the organism is particularly susceptible to environmental influences, facilitating easier learning.
• Critical Period: Specific developmental windows where, if a skill is not acquired, it may never manifest.

Motor skills require physical coordination and are achieved most rapidly when the Central Nervous System (CNS) matures (around 7-8 years old), and sensory/motor organs approach adult size. To test sensitivity, one must consider motivation (internal and external), maturation, and experience.

Environmental Factors Influencing Motor Development

1. The Social Milieu

Humans are social and cultural beings who assimilate knowledge, skills, beliefs, and customs. Socialization is the process through which a child contacts, assimilates, and accommodates to the rules and culture of society.

• Socializing Agents: Personal responses have a more significant impact than impersonal ones.
• Parental Attitudes: Factors such as anxiety, rigidity, or permissiveness significantly impact a child's motor skills.
• Educational Shifts: Approaches have evolved from rigid control to total permissiveness.
• Social Class: This variable affects development through environmental factors such as living space and access to stimulating toys. Children from lower social classes may show accelerated motor development but often face fewer safety precautions.