The role of variability in early motor development

The importance of movement variability in the first year of life has been acknowledged for many decades. However, its role has been difficult to assess as throughout motor development, increased and decreased movement variability has been associated with different outcomes. For example, low variability in the first few months of infancy has been associated with motor disability, whereas low variability in skill acquisition such as learning to walk has been linked to improved performance. The current paper investigates the different roles attributed to variability throughout the different stages of motor development in the infant's first year. Explanations based on maturational, dynamic systems and neuronal group selection theories were explored in order to understand the changing role of variability in early motor development. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.