부산대학교 도서관

Background: Spontaneous upper extremity movements in infancy provide insight on neuromotor development. Spatiotemporal kinematics have been used to evaluate typical development of reaching, a foundational motor skill in infancy. This study evaluates the relationship between spontaneous upper extremity movements, not elicited by a toy, and motor skill attainment. Methods: N = 12 healthy infants (2–8 months) participated in this longitudinal study (one to four sessions). Motor skills were assessed with the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, 3rd Edition: gross motor subtest (GM) and fine motor subtest. Spontaneous upper extremity movements were collected using 3D motion capture technology. Infants were placed in supine for three to twelve 30-s trials, and their movements were recorded. Repeated measure correlation coefficients (Rmcorr) were used to evaluate relationships between variables. Results: There were significant, moderate, positive relationships between the straight distance from start to end of a movement and (a) fine motor score (Rmcorr =.55, p =.03), (b) GM score (Rmcorr =.63, p =.01), and (c) age (Rmcorr =.56, p =.02). There was a significant, moderate, negative relationship between straightness ratio and GM score (Rmcorr = −.52, p =.047). Discussion: Fine and GM skills are related to the straight distance from start to end of a movement and the straightness ratio of underlying spontaneous upper extremity movements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]