The link between emotion and motor development: an integrated study of movement preparation and performance

Little research has examined the relationship between emotion and motor skill in children, so three studies explored whether healthy 8-to-12-year-old children, with below average motor skills, acquire negative emotional responses to physical activity that are based on a history of poor success in this area. A standard latent-trait model underpinned Study 1, which used self-report to investigate which traits are relevant. The two models that were tested fit the data well however generalized self-efficacy for physical activity was the only significant predictor, regardless of whether the outcome variable was motor skill or attitudes toward physical activity as a means of developing positive relationships. The results were contrary to the assumptions of the latent-trait model, as much of the variance was common and there were moderation and mediation effects. To reconcile the findings an alternative conceptualization of emotion was needed. Consequently, an affective state space model, with valence and arousal as its fundamental dimensions, informed studies two and three. Study 2 used a pictorial scale to determine whether children with below average motor skills display less adaptive affective responses to having their motor skills assessed than typically developing peers. The children were assigned to one of four groups, based on their level of motor skill. There were substantial within-group and between-group effects that showed that the less developed children’s motor skills were, the less adaptive their affective responses to the assessment were. Self-report can only inform us about what can be brought into conscious awareness, so Study 3 used physiological indices of affect to explore aspects of affective responding that are not available to conscious awareness. The children either performed physical tasks or, as there is evidence that memory involves the simulation of sensory experiences associated with past events, they imagined performing a familiar physical activity. The children were assigned to a low motor skill or a high motor skill group. The results showed that prior to performing physical tasks or before imagining performing a physical activity, the low skill groups displayed less positive affective responses than the high skill groups. They also had less positive responses when performing physical tasks or mentally simulating a physical activity. The mental simulation group with low motor skill also appeared to have less positive responses to being questioned about what they imagined. Overall, the substantial effects in the studies supported the proposition that primary-school-aged children with poor motor skills acquire negative emotional responses to physical activity that are likely to be based on a lack of success in this area. Furthermore, the studies appear to be the first to be informed by an affective state space model, and the findings warrant pursuing this approach further.