Motion Study Article Review

Motion Study

Definition- Stevenson (2012), states that ‘motion study is the systematic study of the human motions used to perform an operation”, and credits Frank Gilbreth with originating the concepts in the early 20th century in order to eliminate unnecessary motions in the work process (p. 299).

Summary-In their article, Phillip I. Belfiore and Wanda Toro-Zambrana discuss two studies done with participants classified with severe mental retardation involving the use of distance movement as one of the response variables.

The studies were performed with two adult participants with IQs of 12 and 16 on the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale. Tasks involved picking up and placing three items, taking each item and moving it to a central location, then taking the completed unit to a collection area. The following motion economy principles were used. Establishing a definite, fixed location for all the materials, materials were to be located close to the point of use, and materials were in pre-set positions located to permit the shortest sequence of movement.

The results of the studies showed that task errors did not decrease even when the tasks were designed with motion economy principles in place, and there was no effect on how quickly a new task was learned. What did decrease was the amount of time needed to perform the tasks a set number of times once they were learned.

Discussion- Motion studies have been around for nearly a century, and the basic purpose is to increase efficiency thereby increasing productivity. This seems to have been accomplished in these studies.

Many places that deal with the developmentally disabled often do piecework jobs involving short, repetitive motions in order to complete tasks. These types of studies and motion economy principles can be beneficial to the productivity of those involved.

References

Belfiore, P. I.,