The Use of Vision in Children's Postural Control

Abstract

The purpose of the current thesis was to characterize age-related changes in postural control with variations in the properties of a dynamic visual stimulus. In the first study, seven 4-year-olds, seven 6-year-olds, and seven adults were presented with a visual stimulus that oscillated at 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 Hz. Results showed the postural response amplitude and timing depended upon stimulus frequency and a reduction in the amplitude response variability indicated increased response precision with age. In the second study, ten 4-year-olds, ten 6-year-olds, and ten adults were presented with a visual stimulus that oscillated at 0.3 Hz, with amplitudes of 0, 2, 5, and 8 mm. The results characterized the response as a utilization of sensory information for postural control, with increased response precision with age. These findings indicate that the visuomotor coordination needed for postural control shows age-related improvements, consistent with the notion of a response tuning.