Date of Award
12-1988
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Occupational Therapy
First Advisor
Dr. David L. Nelson
Second Advisor
Dr. Cindee Peterson
Third Advisor
Dr. Alyce Dickinson
Access Setting
Masters Thesis-Open Access
Abstract
Theoretically, perceptual information from the interaction with an object and its surfaces (an affordance) facilitates the development of motor skill. This study investigated the use of an affordance in learning control of flexion and extension of an above-elbow training prosthesis. Fifty-two male college students were randomly assigned to two training procedures: two, 1.5-minute periods of a joining dots activity with a flashlight attached to the hook of the prosthesis (affordance group), and practice moving the prosthesis at the elbow joint (no-affordance group) for the same amount of time. To assess generalization of skill to a different task, each subject traced a continuous line through a maze with a pen attached to the hook. Deviations from the line were measured. Data analysis using a Mann-Whitney U test revealed that subjects in the affordance group traced significantly better than subjects in the no-affordance group (p < .025).
Recommended Citation
Yuen, Hon Keung, "The Purposeful Use of an Object in the Development of Skill with a Prosthesis" (1988). Masters Theses. 1196.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/1196