The role of attention in the regulation of associated movement in children.

The effect of attentional processes in regulating associated movement was studied in 10 male children in each of five age-groups from six to 16 years. They were asked to squeeze their index finger and thumb to 75 per cent of their own maximal volitional force under three conditions: a spontaneous baseline condition, a sensory feedback condition and a post-training condition without sensory feedback. Children of all ages were able to reduce the magnitude of associated movements during the sensory feedback condition. In the post-training condition some of the ability to inhibit was lost, particularly for the six-year-olds. This supports the view that the integration of higher order processes, such as attention, with lower-level neuromotor inhibitory mechanism, plays a role in the reduction of associated movement with increasing age. Implications for therapy with clinical populations are discussed.