Final answer:
Motor learning is a field focused on how humans develop and refine their ability to perform motor skills. It involves studying the neurological pathways and muscles' response to descending motor commands, as well as the influence of genes and experience. The field also examines the fine and gross motor skills necessary for maneuvering the body and objects.
Step-by-step explanation:
Defining Motor Learning
Motor learning is a field of study that focuses on the understanding of how humans acquire and refine motor skills, which is the ability to move our body and manipulate objects. Scholars in motor learning examine the pathway of descending motor commands from the cortex to the skeletal muscles, list the components of the basic processing stream for the motor system, and compare different descending pathways by structure and function.
Moreover, the initiation of movement is explained from neurological connections, which involve regions of the central nervous system contributing to somatic functions. Researchers also describe reflex arcs and their functional roles, such as newborn reflexes, manifesting the nature and genes aspect of motor skills. With a blend of theoretical knowledge and experimental analysis, scholars in the field of motor learning assess how genes, biology, and experience interact to develop both fine and gross motor skills, including abilities such as balancing, running, and jumping.
To study movement, experts utilize an interdisciplinary approach that includes elements from biology, physiology, psychology, and cognitive science. Seminal research, such as that by Leisman et al. (2014), provides insights into the cognitive-motor interactions, notably within areas like the basal ganglia, and their development throughout the human lifespan.