Assessment of Motor Competence Across the Life Span: Aspects of Reliability and Validity of a New Test Battery

Abstract

The life span approach to development provides a theoretical framework to examine the general principles of development across all ages (Baltes, Lindenberger, & Staudinger, 2006; Craik & Bialystok, 2006). Previously, developmental research has typically either focused on changes in early development (e.g., infancy or childhood) or on aspects of the aging process (Craik & Bialystok, 2006). The knowledge base concerning the general principles of lifelong development is still insufficient and limited (Baltes et al., 2006; Thelen, 2005). One aspect of increasing the understanding of life span developmental processes is further methodological development of adequate assessment tools that are designed to measure individuals throughout the whole life-course (Leversen, Haga, & Sigmundsson, 2012). Research on motor development has been of great significance for our knowledge of general principles of human development (Thelen, 2000). To assess our motor repertoire and ability to perform movements can serve as a window into the nervous system and the processes of development (Gallahue, Ozmun, &, Goodway, 2012). Assessment of motor development as a part of overall neuropsychological and developmental examinations has been used to predict developmental problems such as delays and disorders (Barnett & Peters, 2004; Lockman & Thelen, 1993). Thelen and Smith (1994) emphasized the importance of measuring movement over time: “Development is not the specification of the outcome—the product—but is the route by which the organism moves from an earlier state to a more mature state” (p. xvi). Bearing this in mind, designing assessment tools that enable longitudinal monitoring of motor competence may be a useful step to explore the principles of life span development.