Initial-angle adaptation in a visuomotor rotation task is not adult-like until roughly 13–14 years of age, with younger children adapting less¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2025 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? In the Push ball task, initial angle (adaptation) at the end of learning was significantly lower than adults for age groups 3–4 through 11–12 years, but not for 13–14 or 15–17 year olds, indicating adaptation matures around adolescence. → Malone 2025

Evidence¶

Malone 2025¶

Malone, L. A., Hill, N. M., Tripp, H., Zipunnikov, V., Wolpert, D. M. & Bastian, A. J. (2025). The control of movement gradually transitions from feedback control to feedforward adaptation throughout childhood. npj Science of Learning. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-025-00304-7

q3 · i? · associational · r2

Repeated measures ANOVA on 494 Push ball participants aged 3–17 and adults, epoch × age-group design. For initial angle there was a significant effect for epoch and age-group and interaction (F29.6,2056 = 4.54, p < 0.001); post hoc comparisons to adults showed younger groups differed while the 13–14yo (p = 0.76) and 15–17yo (p = 0.47) "groups were not".

"At the end of learning, post hoc analysis revealed that when compared to the adult group, the 3 –4yo ( p < 0.001), 5–6yo ( p <0 . 0 0 1 ) , 7–8yo (p < 0.001), 9–10yo (p = 0.004), 11–12yo (p = 0.01) all were statisti- cally different, whereas the 13 –14yo ( p = 0.76) and 15 –17yo ( p =0 . 4 7 ) groups were not."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Age and Developmental Stage — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Related Claims¶

• Children up to adolescence use more online feedback control (larger compensation angles) to counteract the perturbation, while overall target success is preserved across all ages — related
• Younger children's reliance on feedback control reflects a reliance rather than a preference: when adaptation is the only option (Launch ball), they do not adapt more and simply miss the target more — related
• No sex-related differences in adaptation (initial angle) or final angle were found in this visuomotor learning task across childhood — related
• After-effects of adaptation persist through washout in the youngest children, whereas older children and adults return toward baseline by the end of washout — related