Date of Award
12-1989
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Occupational Therapy
First Advisor
Dr. David L. Nelson
Second Advisor
Dr. Doris A. Smith
Third Advisor
Dr. Cindee Peterson
Access Setting
Masters Thesis-Open Access
Abstract
The idea that occupations which offer added levels of purpose elicit a high quality of performance is widely accepted within occupational therapy. In this experiment involving fine motor performance, fifty-three learning disabled children were randomly assigned to two groups. It was hypothesized that children cutting out a circle, presented as a wheel which would complete a paper truck, would cut more accurately than those who cut out the same circle without the suggestion of it being used as a wheel. Accuracy was assessed by measuring the area of the children's cutting errors. The experimental design included the use of a cutting sample as a possible covariate; however, this variable had no significant impact on the results. The mean scores of the two groups tended in the opposite direction of the hypothesis, with no statistically significant difference. The reasons for the subjects' unexpected performance were explored.
Recommended Citation
Austin, Sarah Lynn, "The Effects of Added Purpose on Fine Motor Performance in Learning Disabled Children" (1989). Masters Theses. 1114.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/1114