CH 13- RETENTION + TRANSFER Flashcards
**
retention + transfer
the golden standard for measuring resistance or lack of persistence of the performance
* behavioral rather than theoretical
**
retention test
-performed a period of time after practice trials ended
-if performance is proficient like at end of practice (acquisition), there has been no memory loss (forgetting)
-if performance is poor, memory loss has occurred
-subject to variations that cause performance to change temporarily
**
transfer test
-similar to retention test
-individuals switch to different task/condition
motor memory
the persistence of the acquired capability for performance
forgetting
loss of memory
**
motor learning, theoretical level
acquiring the capability for moving, gains in memory
**
motor learning, behavioral level
relatively permanent gains in performance with practice
**
motor forgetting, theoretical level
losing the capability for moving, or forgetting, loss of memory
**
motor forgetting, behavioral level
relatively permanent losses in performance, or retention losses
**
absolute retention
-most simple + scientifically justifiable
-level of performance in initial trials of retention test
**
relative retention
-measures express the absolute-retention score in various ways relative to the scores obtained during the practice trials
-difference score, percentage score, savings score
**
difference score
-represents “amount” lost in skill over the retention interval
-takes the difference between performance levels at end of practice session + at beginning of retention test
-loosely represents forgetting processes, prone to error
**
percentage score
-represents “amount” lost in retention over the retention interval relative to amount of improvement that occurred on the task in the practice session
-difference score divided by amount of change in performance during the practice session x 100
**
savings score
-Ebbinghaus, 1913
-represents “savings” in relearning
-after a retention interval, a measurement of # of trials needed to reach level of proficiency achieved in the original practice
-generally fewer trials to relearn in first place during acquisition
-more complete retention = faster rate of relearning
who created the savings score
Ebbinghaus
more complete retention = ??
faster rate of relearning
which retention score minimizes problems
absolute
-simplest + most straightforward to use
**
transfer of learning
the gain/loss in capability for performance in 1 task as result of practice/experience in another
-ex: badminton -> tennis
-if tennis is more effective after badminton than without, transfer occurs; something learned in badminton was carried over to tennis
transfer experiments
positive + negative transfer
-group I had task A before B, + performed B more effectively than group II did, which did not experience task A first
-if group I outperforms II, positive transfer has occurred + we conclude the experience on task A increased capability for task B
-interference from task Z for group III resulted, so negative transfer occurred from task Z to B
transfer experiments
proactive + retroactive transfer
-proactive: forward in time; A to B or Z to B
-retroactive: backward in time; IV + V perform Bm then either Q or nothing before B
-more enhanced performance = positive retroactive transfer
-less efficient performance = negative retroactive transfer, interference
**
continuous tasks
well-retained, automatic
**
cliche skills
very well retained, almost automatic, can go without doing for years
-ex: swimming, biking
Fleishman + Parker, 1962
-long retention interval studies
-3D compensatory tracking task, moving hands in forward/backward/left/right dimensions + feet in left/right dimensions
-17 days of practice with retest groups at 9, 12, or 24 months
-higher on y-axis = worse performance
-when it comes to continuous tasks, retention is kept for up to even 2 years later
discrete tasks
superior relearning
retention is less visible in discrete or continuous tasks
retention less visible in discrete tasks
Neumann + Ammons, 1957
-display with 8 pairs of switches arranged in 2 circles, learning lights associated with each switch
-learned up to 2 consecutive errorless trials, retested at 1 min, 20 min, 2 days, 7 weeks, + 1 year on different groups
-some losses experienced after only 20 minutes, with losses greater with increased retention intervals
* 1 min: subjects did fairly well
* 20 min: few mistakes, able to retain performance in a few trials
* 2 days: 50% accuracy, longer to get original proficiency
* 7 weeks: worse performance
* 1 year: worst performance, worse than when we started
* greatest after 1 year, even worse than the initial practice, complete forgetting
**
in amnesia patients, are verbal-cognitive or motor components forgotten quicker
verbal-cognitive components are forgotten quicker
**
in amnesia patients, is there more loss in discrete or continuous tasks over time
more loss in discrete tasks
-discrete tasks have heavier emphasis on verbal-cognitive elements, so therefore more loss over time
patient H.M.
-Henry Gustav Molaison
-operation on temporal lobes; bilateral medial temporal lobectomy to control the epilepsy he was experiencing; caused memory deficit + patient couldn’t form new memories
-only retained short term memory but was able to perform/learn motor skills
-couldn’t learn cognitive/verbal skills
patient M.T.
-Alzheimer’s disease, progressively deteriorating memory disorder
-plays 2 rounds of golf, showing poor performance on cognitive verbal memory but retained golf skills
-the existence of motor retention for newly acquired learning in people with amnesia + for a previously learned skill; in the presence of severe retention deficits for other information types, is a type of memory dissociation
**
4 methods to investigate retention loss in motor performance
-iconic memory + motor performance
-brief post-movement memory
-warm-up descrement
-consolidation
4 methods to investigate retention loss in motor performance
iconic memory + motor performance
-iconic memory: visual sensory memory pertaining to fast-decaying stores of visual information (less than 1 second)
-aka, seeing something + it disappears
-ex: imagine seeing animal in headlights when driving then it disappears; you can still picture the animal after it disappears, but the longer you wait to reiterate the story, the more you will forget
-motor performance deteriorates quickly because persistence of visual information disappears quickly from sensory memory
4 methods to investigate retention loss in motor performance
Elliot + Madalena, 1987
-subjects moved with stylus in response to a stimulus that was short-lived, then stimulus is taken away
-it was found that they could remember the stimulus if the stimulus was responded to with their movement very quickly
-delay causes loss of information pertaining to an icon
4 methods to investigate retention loss in motor performance
brief post-movement memory
2 impacts: facilitation + interference
-facilitation: same parameters of consecutive movements cause remaining memory to facilitate performance
-interference: opposite or different parameters of consecutive movements cause remaining memory to degrade performance
4 methods to investigate retention loss in motor performance
warm-up decrement
-not all decrements observed in a retention test are due to memory loss; could be loss of motivation, daily fluctuations in performance, drugs, illness
-taking rest is helpful for fatigue but there is a little bit of loss from it
4 methods to investigate retention loss in motor performance
Adams, 1952, 1961
-pursuit rotor, 36 trials daily for 5 days
-typical improvement with practice shown
-relatively large decrement after each 24 hours rest period
-re-learning occurred quickly
-taking rest is helpful for fatigue but there is a little bit of loss from it
4 methods to investigate retention loss in motor performance
consolidation
-refers to the amount of time it takes to be able to consolidate or really make a memory solid or stable, so you won’t forget
-practice produces a memory for a motor skill that is unstable for a period of time, stabilizing afterward
**
general vision training
-training programs designed to improve vision
-claim that improvements in vision will transfer to improvements in performance
-myth
3 claims of general vision training
-superior athletes have superior visual skills
* rather, evidence suggests superior athletes often have perceptual advantage; experts process specific sport-related perceptual information faster + more precisely
-visual skills can be improved with training
* rather, evidence that some improvement can be gained from general visual skills training, but limited to individuals with visual defects
-visual skills that are trained in sport vision programs will result in superior sport performance
* strongest support from case testimonials, which aren’t experimental evidence
**
simulations + transfer
-provide a practice task that is supposedly related to another task that cannot be practiced directly with no errors
-physical simulators
pros of simulations + transfer
-cost; simulation is cheaper than real life experiences
-safety; not actually at risk in a simulator
-convenience
cons of simulation + transfer
-if simulation isn’t EXACTLY the same, might not transfer completely
-emotions; do I feel at risk in a simulation?
summary
____ differs for continuous + discrete skills
retention
summary
transfer is usually small/large but positive/negative, depends on ____ between tasks
-small
-positive
-depends on similarity between tasks
summary
devices can assist in ____ transfer, though their value depends on ____
positive
specificity
