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From an ecological perspective, perceptual-motor recalibration should be a robust and adaptable process, but there are suggestions that older adults may recalibrate slower. Therefore, this study investigated the age-related temporal effects in perceptual-motor recalibration after motor disturbances. In three experiments, we disturbed young and older adults' perception-action by fitting weights around their ankles and asking them to climb stairs or cross obstacles repeatedly. In Experiment 1, participants (n = 26) climbed stairs with different ankle weights. An innovative methodology was applied, identifying the timeline of recalibration as the point where a stable movement pattern emerged. Experiment 1 showed that older adults recalibrated slower than young adults in lighter (but not heavier) weight conditions. In Experiment 2, participants (n = 24) crossed obstacles with different ankle weights. Results showed that older adults recalibrated faster than young adults. Finally, in Experiment 3, participants (n = 24) crossed obstacles of unpredictable and varying heights with heavy ankle weights. Again, results showed that older adults recalibrated faster than young adults. Taken together these results show that although older adults had reduced muscle strength and flexibility, they recalibrated quickly, especially when the task was more challenging., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Skilled actions are the result of a perceptual-motor system being well-calibrated to the appropriate information variables. Changes to the perceptual or motor system initiates recalibration, which is the rescaling of the perceptual-motor system to informational variables. For example, a professional baseball player may need to rescale their throws due to fatigue. The aim of this systematic review is to analyse how recalibration can and has been measured and also to evaluate the literature on recalibration. Five databases were systematically screened to identify literature that reported experiments where a disturbance was applied to the perceptual-motor system in functional perceptual-motor tasks. Each of the 91 experiments reported the immediate effects of a disturbance and/or the effects of removing that disturbance after recalibration. The results showed that experiments applied disturbances to either perception or action, and used either direct or indirect measures of recalibration. In contrast with previous conclusions, active exploration was only sufficient for fast recalibration when the relevant information source was available. Further research into recalibration mechanisms should include the study of information sources as well as skill expertise., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this study we assess for the first time the driving skills of young adults with developmental coordination disorder (DCD). We use a virtual city and a driving simulator to examine steering control, speed regulation and the responses to pedestrians on the road. Participants were adolescents and young adults who had been diagnosed with the disorder as children. For most participants the symptoms were maintained (DCD group) but for others they had largely dissipated (AD group). We also invited typically developing (control) participants matched in age, gender, and driving experience to the DCD and AD participants. Compared to their matched controls, the DCD group showed difficulties in steering when turning bends but not when driving along straight roads. Although the average speed of the DCD group was similar to their controls this may have been too fast for them to steer effectively around the bends. The DCD group also took 50% more time to react to pedestrians who walked towards their path. We found no such differences between the AD and their matched controls. We discuss the results in terms of visual information processing and suggest further applied and fundamental research on this topic., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)