Throwing a peice of paper as far as you can, and at a closer target. From an information-processing theory perspective, would these two throws be in the same or different motor programs. Explain your answer
The correct answer and explanation is:
Correct Answer: Different motor programs
From an information-processing theory perspective, throwing a piece of paper as far as you can and throwing it at a closer target would involve different motor programs. Information-processing theory views the brain as a system that processes incoming information, selects appropriate responses, and executes movements through motor programs — sets of pre-structured motor commands.
A motor program is a sequence of muscle movements stored in memory that, once initiated, runs with minimal need for sensory feedback. These programs are developed through experience and refined through practice.
Throwing for distance and throwing for accuracy are fundamentally different tasks that require distinct movement patterns, force applications, and feedback processes:
- Throwing for distance emphasizes maximum force and full-body coordination. It activates a motor program that recruits more muscle groups, uses a longer follow-through, and focuses less on precision.
- Throwing for accuracy at a closer target, on the other hand, requires precise control, modulation of force, and finer muscle adjustments. The motor program used must regulate speed and direction more carefully, integrating more feedback for correction.
According to Schmidt’s Schema Theory, variations in performance are governed by generalized motor programs (GMPs), but when the differences in movement parameters (force, trajectory, speed, goal) are too large, separate motor programs are recruited. Since the two throwing tasks have different goals and require different movement outcomes, they rely on different GMPs or even entirely distinct motor programs.
In summary, from an information-processing standpoint, the cognitive system analyzes the task goal, selects the corresponding motor program, and initiates the motion. Since throwing for distance and throwing for accuracy demand different movement strategies, they are governed by different motor programs.