Nancy Getchell副教授现任教于特拉华大学的健康、营养及锻炼科学系。1981年，她就读于宾夕法尼亚州立大学身体教育专业，主修运动与锻炼科学。1985年毕业后，她在威斯康星-麦迪逊大学继续学习，并先后获得动作发展领域的硕士和博士学位。Getchell博士的研究方向是检验动作协调性的发展，其中，她尤为关注对非正常群体的研究，包括患学习障碍、发展协调性障碍和孤独症的儿童。她研究大肌肉群动作任务中感觉-认知-动作三者之间的关系，相信在动作协调性与非正常群体间建立量化关系，将会有助于对这些儿童进行早期发现和干预。Getchell博士在自己的多项研究中，都使用一种独特的、被称为“双重动作任务”的实验模式。具体地讲，就是儿童双上肢或双下肢同时节律性地进行活动的行为方式，比如双上肢参与的鼓掌和双下肢参与的步行。鼓掌与步行使他们的四肢关节间建立了一种独特的协调关系，这种关系经过整合，向大脑提供了整个机体或四肢的协调性信息。在研究中，Getchell博士运用动态系统理论的方法提出问题并做出假设。这样，使她的研究成果在动作发展领域既具有理论意义又具有应用价值。在“双重动作任务”实验模式中，她主要关注执行任务时被试的四肢活动所表现出的一致性、稳定性和多样性。另外，Getchell博士还与密苏里大学-圣路易斯分校的Kathleen Haywood博士合著了教材《生命历程中的动作发展》的第三、四版。学术活动之余，Getchell博士还喜爱多项户外活动，例如，足球、自行车、旅游等。

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13Nancy Getchell, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Dept. of HNES

University of Delaware

    Dr. Getchell began her academic career in 1981 as an undergraduate Physical Education major, specializing in Sport and Exercise Science at Pennsylvania State University.  After graduating in 1985, she continued on at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, obtaining her Master’s of Science and her Ph.D. in the area of Motor Development.  Dr. Getchell’s research examines the development of motor coordination, with a particular emphasis on specific atypical populations, including children with learning disabilities, developmental coordination disorder, and autism.  She studies perceptual-cognitive-motor relationships within gross motor tasks, with the belief that establishing a quantifiable link between motor coordination and atypical populations may allow for earlier detection and intervention for these children.

    In many of her studies, Dr. Getchell uses a particular experimental paradigm, termed a “dual motor task.”  Specifically, this involves the manner in which children couple their limbs while performing simultaneous, rhythmical tasks with the upper (clapping) and lower limbs (walking).  Both the clap and the walk offer specific coordination relationships within their respective limb girdles, and together, they offer information about whole body or multi-limb coordination.  A dynamical systems theoretical approach is used to develop specific questions and hypotheses.  This provides information that has both theoretical and practical value in the field of motor development.  Within this paradigm, her focus is on issues of consistency, stability and variability in task performance.  In addition to her research, Dr. Getchell has coauthored the third and forth edition of Life Span Motor Development with Dr. Kathleen Haywood from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.  When not involved in academic pursuits, Dr. Getchell enjoys playing soccer, cycling, traveling, and being in the great outdoors.

Selected Publications
1.  Getchell, N.  (2007).  Developmental aspects of perception-action coupling in multi-limb coordination:  Rhythmic sensorimotor synchronization.  Motor Control, 11, 1 -15.

2.  Getchell, N.  (2006).  Age and task-related differences in timing stability, consistency and natural frequency of children’s rhythmic, motor coordination.  Developmental Psychobiology, 48, 675-685.

3.  Whitall, J, Getchell, N., McMenamin,S., Horn. C., Wilms-Floet, A, and Clark, J.

(2006).  Perception-action coupling in children with and without DCD:  Frequency locking between task relevant auditory signals and motor responses in a dual motor task.  Child:  Care, health, and development, 32, 679 - 692

4. Getchell, N. and Gagen, L.  (2006).  Interpreting disabilities from a ‘constraints’ theoretical perspective:  Encouraging movement for all children.  Palaestra, 22, 20 – 53.

 5.Clark, J. E., Getchell, N., Smiley-Oyen, A., and Whitall, J.  (2005).  Developmental Coordination Disorder:  Identification, issues, and interventions.  Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 76, 49-53.