Sensorimotor adaptation is needed to adjust motor behaviour to the needs of different situations. A distinction can be made between early and late adaptation. Early adaptation means a fast...Show moreSensorimotor adaptation is needed to adjust motor behaviour to the needs of different situations. A distinction can be made between early and late adaptation. Early adaptation means a fast improvement, where mainly cognitive processes are of importance. Fast adaptation is slower and more automatic. This master thesis study examined when the ability to adapt movements is developed in children and from which age declines start to occur in adults. While former studies looked into one side of the age range, this study took both the developmental and aging perspective into account. A sample of 463 participants between 8 and 73 years old took part in the experiment, conducted in the NEMO Science Museum in Amsterdam. The participants completed a motor task in which they had to use a joystick to move a cursor towards a target that was presented on a computer screen. In the baseline phase they received normal visual feedback. In the adaptation phase a 45 degree rotation was introduced, causing a different response when moving the joystick. The participants had to adapt their movements to this rotation in order to still be able to hit the targets. After the adaptation phases, the feedback returned back to normal. Participants needed to de-adapt in order to hit the targets again. The typical adaptation pattern was replicated, meaning that participants performed well in the baseline phase, had difficulty hitting the targets in the adaptation phase but improved after practicing. In the de-adaptation phase the participants again had some difficulty and also improved after some practice. In all phases an effect of age was found, meaning that young children and older adults both had more difficulty to successfully adapt. Children are able to adapt from their early teenage years. Declines in adults occur around their fourth decade of life. De-adaptation develops a bit later in children compared to adaptation. In adults declines in de-adaptation occur from the third decade of life. This knowledge can be used during treatment of motor problems, where treatments can be longer or more frequent for certain groups because they have more difficulty with adaptation.Show less