Aspects of Motor Performance and Preacademic Learning

Abstract

This study examined preschool children's performance on a pursuit tracking task in relation to specific performance on motor and cognitive measures of preacademic skill development. Fifty children, ages 4.3 to 5.8 years were tested using the Miller Assessment for Preschoolers (MAP)and number/counting items. High and low performance groups were designated based on performance on the MAP, individual MAP spatial items as well as number/counting items. Groups were compared based on their performance on a pursuit tracking task. Results indicated that the low performance number/counting concept group demonstrated a significantly slower average response time, overshoot movement time and reaction time. These findings offer support for an underlying perceptual-motor difficulty in children exhibiting low scores on preacademic tasks of mathematical concepts. The low MAP and spatial groups demonstrated a significantly higher rate of overshoots, suggesting difficulty in processing visual spatial information.