The perceived meaning ascribed to objects can influence the motor control efficiency in adults when reaching. However, little is known whether the same phenomenon occurs in pediatric females. Twenty-seven girls aged 7 to 9 years recruited from Girl Scout Brownie troupes and afterschool programs were asked to reach for plastic and porcelain teacups in the context of a "tea party" scenario. No differences were found in most of the motion capture variables (p > .05), and effect sizes were small. It is likely that the perceived meaning of the tea party was so robust that it overwhelmed any perceived differences inherent between the two conditions. Future research is needed to clarify the age at which children can qualitatively discern meaningful differences between objects.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.