Waterman, AH orcid.org/0000-0001-9882-7206, Giles, OT orcid.org/0000-0002-4056-1916, Havelka, J orcid.org/0000-0002-7486-2135 et al. (4 more authors) (2017) Sensorimotor control dynamics and cultural biases: learning to move in the right (or left) direction. Royal Society Open Science, 4 (2). 160806. ISSN 2054-5703
Abstract
The nativist hypothesis suggests universal features of human behaviour can be explained by biologically determined cognitive substrates. This nativist account has been challenged recently by evolutionary models showing that the cultural transmission of knowledge can produce behavioural universals. Sensorimotor invariance is a canonical example of a behavioural universal, raising the issue of whether culture can influence not only which skills people acquire but also the development of the sensorimotor system. We tested this hypothesis by exploring whether culture influences the developing sensorimotor system in children. We took kinematic measures of motor control asymmetries in adults and children from differing cultures where writing follows opposite directions. British and Kuwaiti adults (n = 69) and First Grade (5-6 year old) children (n = 140) completed novel rightward and leftward tracing tasks. The Kuwaitis were better when moving their arm leftward whilst the British showed the opposite bias. Bayesian analysis techniques showed that while children were worse than adults, they also showed asymmetries - with the asymmetry magnitude related to accuracy levels. Our findings support the idea that culture influences the sensorimotor system.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2017 The Authors. Published by the Royal Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, which permits unrestricted use, provided the original author and source are credited. |
Keywords: | skill acquisition, culture, sensorimotor control, development, learning |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Mechanical Engineering (Leeds) > Institute of Engineering Systems and Design (iESD) (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > Institute for Transport Studies (Leeds) > ITS: Safety and Technology (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Medicine and Health (Leeds) > School of Psychology (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 02 Mar 2017 11:18 |
Last Modified: | 29 Sep 2020 15:47 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160806 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | The Royal Society |
Identification Number: | 10.1098/rsos.160806 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:113078 |
Commentary/Response Threads
- Waterman, AH, Giles, OT, Havelka, J, Ali, S, Culmer, PR, Wilkie, RM and Mon-Williams, M Sensorimotor control dynamics and cultural biases: learning to move in the right (or left) direction. (deposited 02 Mar 2017 11:18) [Currently Displayed]