Motor Learning

Question 1

Motor Learning Definition

Answer 1

• internal processes associated with practice or experience leading to a relatively permanent change in the capability for skilled behavior
• search for a task solution that emerges from an interaction of the individual with the task and the environment

-time frame = minutes, hours, days
(ML takes longer than MC)

Question 2

Skill

Answer 2

• ability to consistently achieve a goal under a wide variety of conditions
• ability to analyze problems and use available resources to effectively solve problems with a degree of consistency and economy

Question 3

Stages of Motor Learning

Answer 3

• Cognitive phase
• Associative phase
• Autonomous phase

Question 4

Cognitive phase

Answer 4

(“talking & demonstration phase”)

• new to the task
• understand the task
• experiments with variety of strategies
• performance is variable
• improvements are rapid
• time frame = minutes, hours, days

Question 5

Associative phase

Answer 5

(“less talking phase”)

• selected the strategy
• refining the skill
• performance is less variable
• improvements are slower rate
• time frame = days, weeks, months

Question 6

Autonomous phase

Answer 6

• skills are automatic
• less attention to primary task
• begin to attend to secondary task
• may attend to other sensory aspects of the environment
• may change performance to conserve energy

Question 7

Other Methods for Measuring Motor Learning

Answer 7

• learned task becomes more automatic (Dual or multi-tasking)
  ex) carry out a mental task at the same time as a motor task
• perform task with less physical effort
  ex) decreased HR & RPE

Question 8

Motor Learning vs. Training

Answer 8

-Learning (retention) = permanent changes in the capability to achieve a goal

Training = temporary changes in performance

Question 9

Retention

Answer 9

“Carry-over”

-Measure after a break in time

Question 10

Retention: Difference Score

Answer 10

• amount of loss (or gain) over the retention interval

- difference between the last performance trial and the first retention trial

Question 11

Retention: Savings Score

Answer 11

-the number of trials required to the subject to reach the level of proficiency achieved in the original performance

Question 12

Generalizability or Transfer of a Skill

Answer 12

• ability to use what was learned in one task in another (similar or dissimilar) task
• extent to which practice on one task contributes to the performance of other, related tasks

Question 13

Transfer and Generalization

Answer 13

• amount of transfer between motor tasks is small
• transfer depends upon the similarity of the tasks

-changing task just slightly may require new motor behavior
Ex)reaching for a pencil to put it in a pencil holder versus to write with it)

Question 14

Gentile’s 2-stage Model of Learning

Answer 14

Initial stage = Cognitive stage

Later stage = b/w Associative & Autonomous stages
-skill being fixed and the learner to be able to modify it