ISOMETRIC FORCE REGULATION IN CHILDREN

Isometric pinch force regulation was investigated in children and adults using a visuo-motor tracking paradigm. Younger children (5-7 years) performed signif icantly worse than older children (9-11 years) and adults in terms of an overall error score as well as a correlation score, which is believed to reflect the ability to predict the target pattern. Older children had similar overall error scores to adults and were equal to them in terms of correlation scores by the fourth block of trials. A temporal (lag) measure indicated high variability in the youngest age group. An important finding was a cluster of young children whose maximum performance on the correlation measure was equal to that of older children and adults. The temporar (lag) measure indicated varying rates of acquisition of the subcomponents of this task in the youngest age group. In addition, interlimb transfer of learning was demonstrated in all age groups, reflecting the strong central component of this task. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.