Motor Learning 2 Flashcards
What is transfer of learning?
The influence of previous experiences on a new sill or a skill in a new context
Explain the different forms of ‘adaptability’ built through motor learning
Adaptability to:
- similar motor skills
- different environmental characteristics
- changes in the performer
Why is studying the transfer of learning important?
Helps to understand the principles of controlling and learning skills which helps to create effective motor learning protocols
How can you assess the effect of one skill on learning another skill?
2 groups. One experimental group tries Skill A, then tries Skill B. Control group does nothing, then tries Skill B
what is the formula for measuring percent skill transfer?
(Exp group score - Cntrl group score)/(Exp group score + cntrl group score) * 100
What is positive transfer?
When prior learning has a positive influence on new skill learning or on performing in a new context
What is negative transfer?
When prior learning hinders new skill learning
What is zero transfer?
When previous experience has no influence
Why does positive transfer occur? What makes it more likely to occur?
It occurs due to the similarity of the components between two skills. the more similar the components, the more transfer
What are the different ‘similar components’ that can cause positive transfer?
- Kinematic similarity
- Coordination tendencies
When can negative transfer occur? give examples.
When context characteristics are similar but the movement characteristics are different, e.g. driving on the other side of the road, typing on a different keyboard
What is bilateral transfer?
Transfer of learning from one limb to the contralateral one
What is asymmetric bilateral transfer?
Greater transfer from one limb to the other
What is symmetric bilateral transfer?
same amount of transfer no matter what limb learns first
What is an example of asymmetric bilateral transfer?
Stockel and Weigelt 2012 showed that when throwing a ball, both arms had more accuracy when starting with non-dominant arm, both arms had more force when starting with dominant arm.
Why does bilateral transfer occur?
Cognitive explanation: you’ve already learned ‘what to do’
Motor control explanation: Learning involves ‘generalised motor program’ that is not muscle specific, it is effector independent
What is practice variability?
the variety of movement and context characteristics that the learner experiences while practising a skill
Is constant practice or practice variability more effective?
Shoenfelt et al 2002 found that variability in basketball hoop shooting increased accuracy more than constant practice
What is contextual interference?
Memory and performance disruption that results from performing multiple skills or skill variations in practice
Which has more contextual interference, between blocked, random and serial practice?
Random, then serial, then blocked.
What are the limits of blocked practice?
- Does not foster adaptability to novel context
- May have similar outcomes if test is similar to practiced performance, but typically shows poorer results in retention and transfer
- leads to overestimation of personal improvement
What are the limits of contextual interference?
More effective for simple than complex tasks. Factors like age, starting level and the ‘challenge point hypothesis’ (more contextual interference for simple tasks, but less for beginners anyway)
what are the 3 factors of practice specificity?
- Sensory-perceptual information available
- Environmental context
- Cognitive processing requirement
