Lecture 19 - Motor Learning

Question 1

What is motor learning?

Answer 1

Motor learning is a set of processes that lead to relatively permanent changes in the capacity for skilled motor performance

OR

set of processes associated with practice or experience leading to relatively permanent changes in the capability for movement

Question 2

You go home for Easter and see a clarinet you used to play while you were in high school. You pick it up and play an old favourite song. You are demonstrating ________.

Answer 2

Retention

Question 3

What is retention?

Answer 3

The ability to demonstrate a skill over time.

Question 4

You use your clarinet skills to learn how to play the saxophone. You are demonstrating ______.

Answer 4

Transfer/generalizability

Question 5

What is transfer/generalizability?

Answer 5

The ability to apply a learned skill to learning of other similar tasks. Practice on one task contributes to performance capacity in some other task.

Question 6

Retention can be used to see if a skill is _____ versus _____..

Answer 6

A) Learned

B) Merely enhanced performance (temporary change)

Question 7

While _____ and ____ are good measures of motor learning, _______ is not.

Answer 7

Retention and transfer/generalizability

Performance

Question 8

What are the 3 internal process stages for motor learning, as outlined by Fitts and Posner? Briefly define each.

Answer 8

1) Cognitive - development of basic movement pattern
2) Associative - refinement of movement
3) Autonomous - performance of movement virtually automatic

Question 9

T/F: There is an increase in the variability in performance during the associative stage.

Answer 9

False (decrease)

Question 10

While there is a trial and error period during the _____ stage, the _____ stage is virtually error free with little interference from environmental distractions.

Answer 10

1) Cognitive

2) Autonomous

Question 11

The cognitive stage requires that learners do what 2 things?

Answer 11

1) Understand the nature of the task/skill

2) Develop strategies that can be used to carry out the task

Question 12

What three things will be the highest in the cognitive phase and lowest in the autonomous phase?

Answer 12

1) Speed of improvement
2) Variability of Performance
3) Level of attention

Question 13

What structures are associate with the following:

1) cognitive stage
2) association stage
3) autonomous stage

Answer 13

1) Cortical areas
2) Cerebellum
3) Basal ganglia

Question 14

With ____, the performer is provided with the solutions to a problem. With _____, the performer is encouraged to problem solve.

In therapeutic interventions for patients with neurological impairments, what should be the focus?

Answer 14

1) Skill training
2) Motor learning (learning a motor skill)

Focus on learning a motor skill rather than skill training.

Question 15

What are the 5 factors that influence motor learning?

Answer 15

1) Individual
2) Task
3) Environment
4) Practice
5) Feedback

Question 16

Which of the following factors (within the characteristic of the individual) will NOT affect motor learning?

1) Age
2) Prior movement experiences
3) Previous social experiences
4) Fine motor skills
5) Attitudes
6) Motivational levels

Answer 16

4) Fine motor skills is INCORRECT as it exists within the task domain (not the individual domain).

Question 17

Writing is an example of a ______ characteristic, while playing the piano is _____.

Answer 17

Unimanual; bimanual

Question 18

When considering the type of terrain a person is ambulating on and the presence of distractions, what characteristic affecting motor learning is being discussed?

Answer 18

Environment

Question 19

Outline motor learning, in the context of environment, during the early learning stages versus later learning stages.

Answer 19

Early learning – stable, predictable, closed environments should be used (ie. walking in rehab centre).

As learning progresses, environment should be varied and incorporate real world open environments. (ie. practice ambulation at home, in community, over curbs, over rough terrain.

Question 20

Which two variables can be externally manipulated by the PT which have major influences on motor learning?

Answer 20

1) Practice

2) Feedback

Question 21

What is the strongest predictor of motor skill learning in adults?

Answer 21

Practice

Question 22

What is the power law of practice?

Answer 22

Immediate improvement in performance typically occurs during the initial stages of practice, followed by smaller gains later on.

Question 23

T/F: Incorrect movement patterns/faulty habits and postures must be learned before correct movements can be mastered.

Answer 23

False. Faulty movement patterns must be UNLEARNED.

Question 24

What 2 factors are important in determining whether a movement pattern is faulty?

Answer 24

1) Energy consumption – movements should be performed at a low energy cost
2) Whether movement is harmful - should not cost a person with respect to degenerative changes over time

Question 25

Weight shift is an example of _____ practice, while gait training in parallel bars is considered _____ practice.

Answer 25

1) Part task practice

2) Whole task practice

Question 26

What is part task and whole task practice?

Answer 26

Part task practice - identifying components of a skill and practicing the components in isolation

Whole task practice - practicing the task in its entirety

Question 27

describe massed practice

Answer 27

a sequence of practice and rest times, in which rest time is much less than practice time

Question 28

describe distributed practice

Answer 28

spaced practice times, with practice time equal to rest time

Question 29

distributed practice is preferred for those with _____, ____, _____, _____

Answer 29

• fatigue
• low motivation
• short attention span
• poor coordination

Question 30

_____ practice of tasks is of greater benefit to motor learning

Answer 30

• distributed practice

Question 31

distributed schedule of practice can what? (3 things)

Answer 31

• enhance problem-solving
• allow consolidation of motor memory
• facilitate information retrieval in different contexts

Question 32

what is random practice?

Answer 32

• practicing a variety of tasks on consecutive trials

- practice same task in different contexts

Question 33

what is block practice?

Answer 33

• practice one task in one context task

- performed repeatedly before beginning a second task/context

Question 34

What are the two types of feedback?

Answer 34

Intrinsic and extrinsic

Question 35

describe intrinsic feedback

Answer 35

sensory information that is linked to the performance of the task

Question 36

describe extrinsic feedback

Answer 36

information

provided by an external source

Question 37

what are the 2 types of extrinsic feedback

Answer 37

• knowledge of performance (KP)

- knowledge of results (KR)

Question 38

describe knowledge of performance (KP)

Answer 38

• provides explicit information on how the person is performing the task(quality/characteristic)
• relates information about the pattern of movement

Question 39

describe knowledge of results (KR)

Answer 39

• provides information regarding the end result or
  overall outcome of the movement
• focus is on the relationship between an action and a pre-determined goal

Question 40

___ frequency of feedback provided to a patient practicing a motor task is helpful for____ acquisition of skill, but slows _____

Answer 40

• higher
• initial
• retention

Question 41

describe bandwidth feedback

Answer 41

feedback is provided only when performance is outside of an acceptable tolerance of ‘correctness’

Question 42

Give the following case and task, and take them step by step: What feedback characteristics would you chose during the autonomous stage of motor learning?

Answer 42

• random, whole task, distributed, summary of knowledge