Motor Learning and Recovery of Function Flashcards
What is motor learning?
the study of acquisition or modification of movement in normal subjects
What is recovery of function?
The reacquisition of movement lost through injury
Similar to motor control, motor learning emerges from the interaction between what 3 things?
the individual, the task, and the environment
What is plasticity?
The ability to show modificationn
Short term neural changes (learning) are associated with what?
enhanced synaptic efficiency
Learning involved processes associated with what 2 things that ultimately lead to permanent changes in the capability of people to generate skilled actions?
practice and experience
Performance is about ______ changes in motor behavior
temporary
Mrs. Jean J shows an improved ability to stand symmetrically with weight evenly distributed on both legs at the end of her daily therapy session, but on the following day, she again stands with all her weight on her noninvolved leg.
Does the situation define learning or performance?
performance
What is the best way to promote neuroplasticity (permanent changes)?
- Transfer to other context/environment
- Increase the frequency and degree of intensity
What are the 2 forms of long-term memory?
- implicit (nondeclarative)
- explicit (declarative)
What type of memory is related to motor skills and simple learning tasks?
implicit or nondeclarative
What are the 3 subtypes of implicit memory?
- nonassociative learning
- associative learning
- procedural learning
When does nonassociative learning occur?
When animals are given a single stimulus repeatedly
What are the 2 forms of nonassociative learning?
- habituation
- sensitization
What is habituation?
A decrease in responsiveness that occurs as a result of repeated exposure to a nonpainful stimulus
In what ways can habituation be used clinically?
to treat dizziness in patients with certain types of vestibular dysfunction
What is sensitization?
An increased responsiveness following a threatening or noxious stimulus
In what ways can sensitization be used clinically?
Increasing a patient’s awareness of stimuli indicating likelihood for impending falls when retraining balance
Describe associative learning
It is through this this type of learning that a person learns to predict relationships
What are the 2 forms of associative learning?
- classical conditioning
- operant conditioning
When a person learns to predict the relationship of one stimulus from another it is called ______ conditioning
classical
When a person learns to predict the relationship of one’s behavior to a consequence it is called ______ conditioning
operant
Describe procedural learning
A form of nondeclarative learning that refers to learning tasks that can be performed automatically without attention or conscious thought, like a habit
How does procedural learning develop?
Through repetition of an act over many trials (practice)
The ability to remember factual knowledge is called what type of memory?
explicit or declarative
What is the major difference between explicit and implicit learning?
Implicit learning is more reflexive in character and requires frequent repetition for its formation, whereas explicit learning results in knowledge that can be continuously recalled and thus requires processes such as awareness, attention, and reflection
What can be defined as a group of abstract ideas about the nature and control of the acquisition or modification of movement?
theories of motor learning
Theories of motor learning have formed the foundation for what?
evidence-based neural rehabilitation
The closed-loop theory of motor learning hypothesized that 2 distinct types of memory processes were important in this process, what are they?
- memory trace
- perceptual trace
Describe the memory and perceptual traces
Movement is selected and initiated by the memory trace, then the perceptual trace takes over the carry out the movement and detect the error
What is a limitation of the closed-loop theory?
Its failure to explain open-loop movements performed in the absence of sensory feedback
Schmidt’s motor learning theory that emphasized open-loop control processes and the generalized motor program concept was called what?
the schema theory
What does the generalized motor program contain?
the rules for creating the spatial and temporal patterns of muscle activity needed to carry out a given movement
According to Schmidt, after an individual makes a movement, four things are available for brief storage in short-term memory, what are these 4 things?
1) Initial movement conditions (position and mass of the object being manipulated)
2) Parameters of motor program (force, direction)
3) Outcomes of the movement in terms of knowledge of results
4) Sensory consequences of the movement (how it felt, looked, sounded etc.)
What are the 2 types of schemas proposed?
- recall
- recognition
What is the recall schema used to do?
Select a specific response
What is the recognition schema used to do?
evaluate the response
According to Schmidt’s Schema Theory, what is learning a product of?
updating the recall and recognition schemas with each repetition of the movement
How is the schema theory applied clinically?
The variability of practice improves learning, making rules for motor program stronger and more generalizable
What does Newell’s Ecological Theory suggest?
That motor learning is a process that increase the coordination between perception and action in a way that is consistent with the task and environmental constraints
What is critical to the search for optimal strategies?
The exploration of the perceptual/motor workspace to find the most relevant and efficient for the task
According to the Ecological theory where does feedback come from?
perceptual cues, such as knowledge of performance and knowledge of results
What is the difference between knowledge of performance and knowledge of results?
- Knowledge of performance is feedback on the movement pattern during movement
- Knowledge of results is feedback related to an outcome given at the end of movement
What 2 theories focus on motor learning from a temporal perspective and attempt to more carefully characterize the learning process?
- 3 stage model
- 2 stage model
What do the two and three stage models describe?
How learning occurs over time
According to Fitts and Posner what are the 3 stages involved in learning a new skill?
- cognitive
- associative
- autonomous
What are the 3 stages involved in learning a new skill according to the systems three-stage model?
- novice
- advanced
- expert
Describe the two stages in Gentiles two-stage model
1) the goal of the learner is to develop an understanding of the task dynamics
2) the goal of the learner is to refine the movement
What is stage two in Gentiles two-stage model called?
fixation/diversification stage
_____ skills require refinement of a single or limited number of movement patterns, whereas ______ skills require a diversity of movement patterns.
Closed
Early
What 4 factors are important to consider when retraining patients with motor control problems?
- practice frequency
- feedback
- practice conditions
- variability of practice
Describe how practice improves performance
Early practice improves performance rapidly, but at a certain point performance begins to slow down
What are the 2 types of feedback?
- intrinsic
- extrinsic
What is intrinsic feedback?
Feedback that comes to the individual simply through the various sensory systems as a result of the normal production of the movement
What is extrinsic feedback?
Information that supplements intrinsic feedback
What are 2 major forms of extrinsic feedback?
- knowledge of results
- knowledge of performance
Knowledge of ____ can be defined as terminal feedback about the outcome of the movement, in terms of the movement’s goals
results
Knowledge of ____ can be defined as feedback relating to the movement pattern used to achieve the goal
performance
_____ practice is defined as a session in which the amount of practice time in a trail is greater than the amount of rest between trials
Masses
_____ practice is defined as a session in which the amount of rest between trials is equal to or greater than the amount of time for a trail
Distributed
What can be defined as the process of identifying the components of a skill or movement and then ordering them into a sequence?
task analysis
When should part practice be used?
For tasks that can be naturally divided into different units (single joint motion)
When should whole practice be used?
for skills with multi-joint coordination (skating, jumping, etc.)
Describe the difference between guided and discovery learning
- Guidance learning the patient is physically guided through the task
- Discovery learning the patient learns through trial-and-error approach
Constant practice should be performed in a(n) _____ environment whereas variable practice should be performed in a(n) _____ environment
closed
open
True or False
The neural circuits responsible for motor programs are activated during mental practice
True
What 5 factors play a role in recovery of function?
- Age/gender
- Genetic make-up
- Lesion size/site
- Pre-injury/Previous experience
- Post-injury factors
