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Cited by 38Children's Physical and Motor DevelopmentMotor Control and AdaptationChild and Animal Learning Development

Solving Bernstein's Problem: A Proposal for the Development of Coordinated Movement by Selection

Sporns, Olaf, Edelman, Gerald M.·1993·Child Development
DOI 10.1111/j.1467-8624.1993.tb04182.x
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Abstract

In recent years, many established concepts in the theory of human motor development have undergone profound change, and our knowledge has increased greatly. Nevertheless, some outstanding problems remain unsolved. A central problem concerns the redundancy of effective movements, first pointed out by N. A. Bernstein. The human motor system is mechanically complex and can make use of a large number of degrees of freedom. The controlled operation of such a system requires a reduction of mechanical redundancy, effectively by reducing the number of degrees of freedom. More recent work has shown that this problem is hard to solve explicitly by computing solutions to the equations of motion of the system. Equally challenging to traditional computational approaches is the fact the motor systems show remarkable adaptability and flexibility in the presence of changing biomechanical properties of motor organs during development and when faced with different environmental conditions or tasks. Solutions to these problems would have a large impact on a variety of issues in child development. In this article, we stress the importance of the somatic selection of neuronal groups in maps for the progressive transformation of a primary movement repertoire into a set of motor synergies and adaptive action patterns. We present results from computer simulations of a simple motor system that works according to such selectional principles. This approach suggests a provisional solution to Bernstein's problem and provides new parameters to guide experimental approaches to the development of sensorimotor coordination.

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Crossref · 10.2307/1131321

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  • Dynamic systems approaches emphasize that cognitive functions self-organize through continuous coordination of processes unfolding across multiple timescales.

    “Rather than focusing on information processing or probabilistic inference, this approach emphasizes how cognitive functions self-organize through the continuous coordination of processes unfolding across multiple timescales (Beer 2000; Sporns and Edelman 1993).”

    From The myth of the Bayesian brain (2025) · cites this paper as Sporns and Edelman 1993

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Authors
Sporns, O., & Edelman, G. M.
ORCID
Sporns, Olaf
Venue
Child Development
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
1993-08
Volume
64
Issue
4
Pages
960
ISSN
0009-3920 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1111/j.1467-8624.1993.tb04182.x
OpenAlex
W4300544947
Cited by
38
References
71
Citations by year
2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 4 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 3
FWCI
0.59
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
Child Development (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Children's Physical and Motor Development
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Motor Control and Adaptation
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
Keywords
coordinated motion, movement selection, motor coordination, motor development, motor control

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