PDFE #2: Movement Classification

Context

For this assignment, I observed a high-school cross country event.  There were a total of 7 different races, separated according to skill (ex. men's and women's varsity, men's and women junior varsity, general race, etc).  In total, there were around 3000 high school runners from local high schools.  The race was held at Berry College, in and around the Clara Bowl next to the Ford buildings.  Races began at 8:00 in the morning and continued every 45 minutes until 12:45 pm.  Every race was a 5K (or 3.1 miles) and the weather was sunny and warm.

One-Dimension Systems

Running a race is primarily a locomotor skill.  The objective of the race is to complete the 3.1 miles so the primary purpose behind the movement is to travel.  However, before the races, the runners also stretched their muscles so they would not injure themselves which involved some stability (especially for standing stretches such as the quadriceps stretch or the single knee to chest stretch).  Running a race almost entirely involves gross muscle groups.  The runners are moving their entire bodies at once, emphasizing large muscles groups like the quadriceps, the biceps, and the abdominals.   One example of a time they might use their fine motor skills is in the muscles of the eyes.  These muscles use quick, short, controlled movements so the runners can scan the course and check their progress relative to the other runners.   Running is an example of a continuous skill.  There is no definite beginning or end because the legs continuously move one foot in front of the other in a cycle.  The arms also swing back and forth, one after the other, in a continuous cycle so the entire movement is a continuous skill.  Running the race is relatively closer to the motor end of the cognitive-motor continuum.  The course is already mapped out so the runner just needs to stay within the fencing and keep running, involving little thinking.  However, the movement is not an entirely motor skill because some strategy is involved.  The runner needs to decide about whether they will run an equal speed the entire time or conserve some energy so they can do a final sprint at the end.  They also need to decide if they want to sprint at the beginning to get in front of the pack so they won't get caught behind people or if they want to wait and try to work their way up later in the race.  The race involves elements of both closed and open environmental predictability.  The environment is closed because the race is mapped out in a constant pattern and the runners can see this course and walk over it before they begin the race. They also practice running 3.1 miles often so they know approximately what time they should aim for.  Examples of open environmental elements include the weather conditions, the field conditions, the number of other racers, and when the other competitors decide to make a final push.  Because of these mix of factors, running a race probably falls close to the middle in the closed-open environmental continuum.

Two-Dimensional System

1.  White-water kayaking-body transport, object manipulation, environment variation, context variation
       In white water kayaking, the body is actively moving as the kayaker rows and adjusts the core to the movements of the kayak.  The kayaker also manipulates the oar.  There is environmental variation because the water is moving and carrying the kayak as it flows forward.  There is also context variation because the kayak sometimes travels through smooth water and sometimes it goes through rapids or over small waterfalls.
2.  Flipping through channels on the TV-body stationary, object manipulation, no environment variation, no context variation
      While flipping through channels, the person is just sitting and watching so the body is not moving. They are using the remote so there is object manipulation.  The environment is not moving so there is no environment variation.  Also, the context of the environment remains the same so there is no context variation.
3.  Driving a car-body stationary, object manipulation, environmental variation, context variation
    Because the person is just sitting in the seat, the body is stationary. The driver manipulates the steering wheel.  The environmental is variable as the car moves forward across the road and the cars around the driver shift position. Also the context of the car changes as it moves, possibly from city to suburbs or from heavy traffic to empty roads.
4.  Hiking through a farm-body transport, no object manipulation, no environment variation, context variation
   The person is traveling through the woods so they are moving their body. They are not manipulating any object (unless they are holding a walking stick or binoculars).  The environment has no variation because the fields remain the same across the distance.  The context of the field changes as the person changes their relative positions to their surroundings and hikes through different types of vegetable patches.