Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow Research has established that the learning of motor skills is specific. This applies also to perceptual-motor movement since perception is involved in all voluntary movement except reflex action. Visual perception is very important in motor learning but information can be received through the channels of sound, touch, smell, taste and awareness of body position. In complex motor activity, the senses are used in an integrated manner. In the game of basketball, for instance, players use vision to shoot a basket, sound to hear the referees touch to feel the ball and kinesthetic sense to recognise their body position in relation to other players and the basket. Effective control of the visual system depends on Visual acuity - the ability to see the objects clearly; Perceptual constancy - the ability to determine the difference if any, in size, shape and colour of the object; Depth perception - the ability to have awareness of the distance between objects; visual tracking - the ability to perceive a moving object. Auditory, similar to visual perception consists of subskills and there is Awareness - ability to indicate that there is a sound or not; Discrimination - ability to discriminate between different tones and frequencies of sounds; Direction - the ability to determine the direction from which sound is coming and Figure-ground the ability to distinguish a specific sound from other noises occurring at the same time. In the kinesthetic system instead of using an eye or ear to receive information the kinesthetic system utilizes proprioceptors located in joints. Three skills closely related to kinesthetic perception are Balance the ability of the individual to position the body in response to gravity; Body awareness refers to an understanding of the body in space and laterality - the ability to distinguish between the two sides (left and right) of the body.
Bending the body to the right or left while in a standing position is a specific kinesthetic perception and it is called
Laterality
Understanding Kinesthetic Perception and Laterality
The question asks us to identify a specific kinesthetic perception related to bending the body to the right or left while standing. Let's examine the relevant part of the passage which discusses the kinesthetic system.
The passage states that the kinesthetic system uses proprioceptors located in joints to receive information. It then lists three skills closely related to kinesthetic perception:
- Balance: This is defined as the ability of an individual to position the body in response to gravity. This helps us stay upright or maintain a specific pose.
- Body awareness: This refers to an understanding of the body in space. It's knowing where your body parts are relative to each other and the environment.
- Laterality: This is defined as the ability to distinguish between the two sides (left and right) of the body.
The action described in the question - bending the body to the right or left - specifically involves recognizing and using the right or left side of the body. Based on the definitions provided in the passage, the skill that involves distinguishing between the right and left sides of the body is Laterality.
Let's look at the given options and see how they fit:
- Directionability: This term is not used in the passage in relation to kinesthetic perception. The passage mentions "Direction" under auditory perception, referring to determining the direction from which sound is coming.
- Body awareness: While bending involves being aware of your body's position, the core aspect highlighted by bending specifically right or left is the distinction between the two sides, which is covered by Laterality according to the passage's definition.
- Laterality: As defined in the passage, this is the ability to distinguish between the left and right sides of the body. Bending to the right or left is a direct application of this ability.
- Figure-ground: This term is discussed in the passage under auditory perception, referring to distinguishing a specific sound from background noise. It is not related to kinesthetic perception.
Therefore, bending the body to the right or left while standing is a specific example of utilizing Laterality, which is a key skill within kinesthetic perception as described in the passage.
Revision Table: Kinesthetic Skills
| Kinesthetic Skill | Definition (as per passage) | Example from Question Context |
|---|---|---|
| Balance | Ability to position the body in response to gravity. | Maintaining a stable standing position. |
| Body awareness | Understanding of the body in space. | Knowing the overall position of your body while bending. |
| Laterality | Ability to distinguish between the two sides (left and right) of the body. | Bending specifically to the right or the left side. |
Additional Information: Perceptual-Motor Learning
The passage highlights that learning motor skills, especially perceptual-motor movements, is specific. This means that the skills learned in one context or using one sense might not automatically transfer perfectly to another context or sense.
- Perceptual-motor movement: This involves using sensory information (like vision, hearing, touch, or kinesthetic sense) to guide and control motor actions. Almost all voluntary movements fall into this category.
- Specificity of learning: If you practice a skill involving visual tracking, that skill might improve significantly, but it doesn't guarantee a similar improvement in, say, auditory discrimination. Similarly, practicing balance might improve your ability to stay upright, but it won't directly improve your laterality for tasks requiring left/right distinctions.
- Integrated Senses: The passage correctly points out that in complex activities like playing basketball, multiple senses (vision, sound, touch, kinesthetic) are used together in an integrated way to perform various actions effectively.
Understanding these specific perceptual and kinesthetic skills is crucial for analyzing and improving performance in various physical activities and daily tasks.
Important Questions from Miscellaneous
A stone is thrown horizontally from the top of a 20 m high building with a speed of 12 m/s. It hits the ground at a distance R from the building. Taking g = 10 m/s2 and neglecting air resistance will give :
A sphere of volume V is made of a material with lower density than water. While on Earth, it floats on water with its volume f1V (f1 < 1) submerged. On the other hand, on a spaceship accelerating with acceleration a < g (g is the acceleration due to gravity on Earth) in outer space, its submerged volume in water is f2V. Then:
A railway wagon (open at the top) of mass M1 is moving with speed v1 along a straight track. As a result of rain, after some time it gets partially filled with water so that the mass of the wagon becomes M2 and speed becomes v2. Taking the rain to be falling vertically and the water stationery inside the wagon, the relation between the two speeds v1 and v2 is :
Consider the following statements:
1. Distance between the longitudes becomes zero on North Pole and South Pole.
2. Distance between the longitudes is maximum on the Equator.
3. Number of longitudes is more than number of latitudes.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
One block of 2⋅0 kg mass is placed on top of another block of 3⋅0 kg mass. The coefficient of static friction between the two blocks is 0⋅2. The bottom block is pulled with a horizontal force F such that both the blocks move together without slipping. Taking acceleration due to gravity as 10 m/s2, the maximum value of the frictional force is :
