The effect of visual, verbal, and auditory instruction on motor performance and learning for persons with Down syndrome

• Author / Creator

  Bonertz, Cameron Mark

• Participants with Down syndrome (DS) as well as typically developing peers matched for mental and chronological age completed a 3-step movement sequence in response to visual (lights), verbal (spoken word), meaningful auditory (music), and non-meaningful auditory (tones) instructions. Results indicate that participants with DS demonstrated slower reaction time in the visual condition but were more consistent in their movement time and made fewer errors suggesting they adopted a strategy in which they traded speed for accuracy. Further, they were slowest, most variable, and made the most errors in the non-meaningful auditory condition indicating that the amount of meaning associated with the method of instruction is an important determinant of motor performance. These results support the assertion that motor performance for persons with DS is determined in part by the unique pattern of cerebral lateralization for this population while at the same time demonstrating the importance of task and stimulus familiarity.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Motor performance
  • learning
  • Down syndrome
  • cerebral lateralization

• Graduation date

  Fall 2010

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3RD2K

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.