Motor Learning

Question 1

What is an automated motor behaviour?

Answer 1

• Well learnt motor skill
• Requires little conscious effort/attention
• Can be performed with little interference from a concurrent task

Question 2

What are inappropriate automated motor behaviours?

Answer 2

• Predispose to injury/re-injury
• Suboptimal in terms of movement outcome
• Not impairment-related

Question 3

What are inappropriate automated motor behaviours also referred to as?

Answer 3

• Adaptive behaviours
• Substitution patterns
• Bad habits
• Compensations
• Trick movements
• Persistent errors
• Cheating

Question 4

What is the motor learning theory?

Answer 4

• Motor learning occurs when a skill is automated (automaticity)
• Allocation of attention is central to motor learning

Question 5

What is automaticity?

Answer 5

Ability to perform a skill or engage in information-processing activities without requiring attentional resources

Question 6

What are the conditions that determine resource allocation?

Answer 6

• Characteristics of the activity
• Allocation policy of the individual
• Internal/external influences

Question 7

What are the 2 main theories of attentional resources?

Answer 7

1. Central-resource capacity theory: One central source of attention for which all activities requiring attention compete
2. Multiple resource theory: Several attentional resource mechanisms, each with limited capacity thereby limiting simultaneous processing

Question 8

What is required in order to assess motor learning?

Answer 8

Determine degree to which the task has become automated using dual task techniques

Question 9

What are dual task techniques?

Answer 9

• Reflect the degree of interference that a secondary task has on the performance of a primary task
• The greater the interference, the greater the attention required by the primary task & the less automated it is

Question 10

How is automaticity quantified?

Answer 10

Automaticity % =
Primary task measure alone /
(Primary task measure + secondary task measure)
x 100

Question 11

What are the strategies for training appropriate automated motor behaviours?

Answer 11

• Self modelling
• Implementation intention
• Dual-task training

Question 12

What is self modelling?

Answer 12

• Observation of images of oneself engaged in an appropriate motor behaviour
• Can include positive self review & feed-forward

Question 13

What are implementation intentions?

Answer 13

• Link anticipated critical situations to goal-directed responses (e.g. when this happens, I will do this)
• Mental representation of an anticipated situation is thought to lead to automatisation of the intended behaviour

Question 14

What does dual task training involve?

Answer 14

• Second task added to create additional attentional demand during primary task practice
• Second task can be cognitive/manual
• Second task should be varied, should provide demands that reflect natural activities

Question 15

What can dual task training be progressed to?

Answer 15

Multiple task training