Enquiry 4, Motor Learning & Structuring Rehab

Question 1

What is motor learning?

Answer 1

• Referred to as the study of the acquisition (learning or developing of a skill) or modification of movement in subjects without neurological injury.
• Motor learning is a complex process occurring in the brain in response to practice or experience of a certain skill resulting in changes in the central nervous system. It allows for the production of a new motor skill. Motor learning requires practice, feedback and knowledge of results.
• In contrast the recovery of function refers the reacquisition of movement skills lost through injury.
• The recovery of function vs motor learning actually are very similar

Question 2

What are the aims of motor learning?

Answer 2

Motor learning, leads to relatively perminent changes in the capability for producing skilled action. So change needs to be perminent in order for it to be a learnt skill.

This definition reflects four conscepts:

• Learning is a process or requiring the capability for a skilled action.
• Learning results from experience or practise
• Learning cant be measured directly instead its inferred by a change in performance
• The change in performance has to be relatively perminant for it to be considered learning

*We shouldnt measure the success of rehab session based on what the patient can do in the gym, these skills need to be used independantly and transfered to other more meaningful settings like at the bed space or more importantly at the patients home. And if these skills can be transferred to these more meaningful contexts then that is more of a sign of success.

Question 3

Theories of motor learning. This is that there are groups of abstract ideas about the nature and control of the aquisition or modifiction of skilled action.

One of the key theories of motor learning are the Fitts & Posner 3-stage model.

Explain the phases.

Answer 3

Fitts & Posner came up with their 3-stage model. They suggest there are three main phases involved in skill learning:

1st stage: Cognitive phase -

• Understanding the task and what constitutes success
• Developing potential strategies
• (Learner is concerened with understnading the nature of the task and developing strategies to carry out task.*
• So these efforts require a high degree of cognitive activity and attentional demand.*
• The person experiments with a variety of strategies and abondoned those that dont work and keep those that do. This means performance tends to be variable*
• however improvements are quite large in this 1st stage as a result of selecting the best strategy for the task.*
• In terms of feedback the learner will need alot of guidence and feedback.)*

2nd stage: Associative phase -

• best strategy selected
• being practised and refined.
• (So less variablility in performance and improvement slows.*
• Verbal and cognitive aspects of the learning arent as important at this stage as the person focuses more on refining the skill rather than developing a strategy for the skill.*
• This stage can last days to weeks to months depending on individual and the intensity of practise.)*

3rd stage: Autonomous phase -

• Skill becomes automatic
• much less attention required
• Able to focus on other aspects of task / dual tasking

(Is whether the skill has become automatic and person is really refining and also able to devote attention to other aspects like scaning the environment or dual tasking e.g talking whilst performing the task.)

As seen in graph as learning moves through the stages the attentional depends decreases.

*We can use this knowledge to help guide how we might present a new task/novel task to a patient and how we adjust our feedback accordingly.