University of Groningen
A new perspective on the development of motor variability during middle childhood Golenia, Laura
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2018
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Golenia, L. (2018). A new perspective on the development of motor variability during middle childhood.
Rijksuniversiteit Groningen.
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Epilogue
Continued from page 7
“So ... what does the thinking?”
“You’re not understanding, are you? You’re refusing to deal with what I’m telling you. The brain does the thinking. The meat.”
“Thinking meat! You’re asking me to believe in thinking meat!”
“Yes, thinking meat! Conscious meat! Loving meat. Dreaming meat. The meat is the whole deal! Are you beginning to get the picture or do I have to start all over?”
“Omigod. You’re serious then. They’re made out of meat.”
“Thank you. Finally. Yes. They are indeed made out of meat. […]”
They’re made out of meat - Terry Bisson (1991)
Terry Bisson’s short story “They’re Made Out of Meat” (1991) not only encompasses my thoughts on how to study developmental processes, it also sparked ideas for this thesis. In this thesis, I argued to use the Dynamic Systems (DS) theory in the field of mid-childhood development and I presented what the DS theory can offer. I conducted empirical studies, which focused on the development of different components of the meaty body. Results of these studies revealed different developmental processes on different levels of analysis, indicating that is it important to give a level-overarching explanation of reaching in middle childhood in typically developing children as well as in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). Importantly, the empirical data suggest that assumptions of the computational approach might be outdated.
That is why this thesis is of importance in the field of middle childhood. It might trigger other studies to break through their year-long routines, either following or taking on the challenge with the DS theory; either way, advancing the field. This thesis may also impact the whole developmen- tal field, because it puts the spotlight on middle childhood, therewith rejuvenating the ‘forgotten years’. In addition, these studies can be an inspiring example by showing how to embrace the rich variability and complexity inherent in development and how to embed this variability within a (meaty) systems framework. For children with DCD, it might even mean that we advance towards finding the cause of DCD. And for me, I have just started to understand our meaty system.
