Impairment of Visual Memory in Children Who Are Clumsy
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In order to evaluate the contribution of visual memory to problems in the development of motor coordination, 9- to 13-year-old boys who were clumsy were tested on a graphic reproduction task under two delay conditions. Their performances were compared with those of control children. Individual geometric patterns were presented as a whole or sequentially, and children reproduced these patterns immediately after the inspection period or after a delay of 15 s. There was no difference in the accuracy of the reproductions of the two groups on immediate recall. After the 15-s delay, the reproductions of children who were clumsy were markedly less accurate, whereas those of the control children were unchanged. Although children who were clumsy completed their reproductions more quickly, there was no correlation between their accuracy scores and response duration. It was concluded that a difference in visual rehearsal strategies may distinguish children who are clumsy from their peers.
Catherine Dwyer and Beryl E. McKenzie are with the Department of Psychology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia 3083. Direct correspondence to Beryl E. McKenzie.
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