Master of Science in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology with Concentration in Biobehavioral Science (Motor Control & Learning)

Graduate students are exposed to and directly involved in research covering the full multidisciplinary spectrum of human potential from young to old, fit to unfit, healthy to diseased, able-bodied to disabled, and from the casual recreational participant to the high-level athlete. In addition to human performance issues, APK faculty and students study the immediate and lasting effects of exercise and its use in disease prevention and rehabilitation. The mission of the MS program in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology with a concentration in Biobehavioral Science is to prepare individuals for doctoral study in biobehavioral sciences, or to obtain private sector employment in the area of human biobehavioral evaluation. The program of study is developed by the student and the advisory committee based on the student’s background, interests, and career goals, as well as faculty expertise. Motor learning is concerned with the processes and variables that influence skill acquisition. Studies involve manipulating a process or variable that typically directly affects the rate that a motor skill is acquired and how it is retained over time. Learning is examined in various situations with a variety of movement tasks and with diverse groups of participants for our research. For example, we have investigated the ability of the elderly to learn a force production task in which the movements were similar to picking up a glass of water from the table. Currently, a funded project is devoted to helping stroke patients re-acquire voluntary arm movements. These and many other types of studies relate motor learning concepts and principles to acquiring a movement capability. Motor control is concerned with the mechanisms involved in performing coordinated movements. Leading questions and explanations arise from studies on coordination. Understanding how people are able to move their arms through space to be at the right place at the right time to execute a coordinated action is still meager. Topics studied in our laboratory include bimanual movements, problems associated with initiating movements in those with Parkinson’s disease, the force production of stroke patients, and fractionated reaction times of stroke patients.