Abstract
The ability to adjust movements in response to perturbations is key for an efficient and mature nervous system, which relies on two complementary mechanisms - feedforward adaptation and feedback control. We examined the developmental trajectory of how children employ these two mechanisms using a previously validated visuomotor rotation task, conducted remotely in a large cross-sectional cohort of children aged 3-17 years and adults (n = 656; 353 males & 303 females). Results revealed a protracted developmental trajectory, with children up to ~13-14 years showing immature adaptation. Younger children relied more on feedback control to succeed. When adaptation was the only option, they struggled to succeed, highlighting a limited ability to adapt. Our results show a gradual shift from feedback control to adaptation learning throughout childhood. We also generated percentile curves for adaptation and overall performance, providing a reference for understanding the development of motor adaptation and its trade-off with feedback control.