Lecture 8: Stages of Motor Learning

Question 1

What are the three models to identify and describe the stages of motor learning?

Answer 1

1. Fitts and Posner three-stage model
2. Gentiles two stage model
3. Bernstein’s multi-phased description

Question 2

What are the three stages to Fitts and Posner’s model

Answer 2

1. Cognitive
2. Associative
3. Autonomous

Question 3

Cognitive Stage

Answer 3

1. Solving cognitive oriented problems
2. What is my objective? How much ROM?
3. Huge variability, errors, lack of consistency.

Question 4

Associative Stage

Answer 4

1. Learned to associate environmental info with required movements.
2. Works to refine performance, be more consistent (refining phase), variability/errors decrease.
3. Still huge variability and lack of consistency.

Question 5

Autonomous Stage

Answer 5

1. Final stage, performance is automatic
2. No conscious thinking
3. Variability is low, people detect and correct own errors.

Question 6

What are Gentiles two stages?

Answer 6

1. Initial Stage: Getting the idea of the movement.
2. Later stage: Fixation vs diversification

Question 7

What are the two goals of the initial stage?

Answer 7

1. Organize movements to achieve success.
2. Discriminate between regulatory and non regulatory conditions in environmental context.

Question 8

Regulatory vs Non Regulatory

Answer 8

Regulatory: Factors that affect movement
Non Regulatory: Factors that affect performance but not movement.

Question 9

What are the three characteristics of the later stage?

Answer 9

1. Adapting movement patterns needed for skill.
2. Increasing consistency of goal.
3. Perform with effort.

Question 10

Fixation

Answer 10

1. Replicate movement patterns consistently and accurately.
2. Closed Skill

Question 11

Diversification

Answer 11

1. Adapt and modify behavior based on environment.
2. Open skill

Question 12

What is Bernstein’s Perspective?

Answer 12

1. Described appropriate practice as a form of “repetition without repetition”

Question 13

Freezing and freeing degrees of freedom

Answer 13

1. Enormous variation in movement choice.
2. Number of independents movements needed to complete an action, a central component of learning a new motor skill.