Practice Variability And Specificity

Question 1

Practice variability

Answer 1

Variety of movement and context characteristics the learner experiences while practicing a skill

Question 2

What 3 movement and context characteristics can be varied in practice:

Answer 2

1. Skill variations that will be required in test/performance conditions
2. Physical context
3. Situation where skill occurs

Question 3

What is the physical context

Answer 3

Environment where skill is performed
Ex) soft or hard ice

Question 4

Example of situation where skill occurs

Answer 4

Fatigue state
Emotional state

Question 5

What is variability benefits related to

Answer 5

Increased amount of performance error during practice
More variability more error more learning

Question 6

How to implement practice variability

Answer 6

Must assess characteristics of physical context and skill characteristics of performance
- can’t be closed environment for too long if tested on open skill

Question 7

What’s intertrial variability

Answer 7

Something changes each time you do skill

Question 8

How to add practice variability if closed skill with no intertrial variability

Answer 8

• vary non-regulatory conditions (noise, colour)
• do not vary regulatory conditions, trials are same from rep to rep

Question 9

How to add practice variability if closed skill with intertrial variability

Answer 9

• vary regulatory and non-regulatory condition (must vary like open skill)

Question 10

What to vary is open skill

Answer 10

Regulatory and non regulatory condition
- environment and skill itself

Question 11

Contextual interference

Answer 11

Disruption of memory and performance that results from performing variations of a skill within the context of practice
Ex) throwing different ways - underhand, overhand, windmill

Question 12

What has the least amount of contextual interference to the most

Answer 12

Blocked, serial, random

Question 13

Blocked

Answer 13

Keep practicing the same version of the skill over and over consecutively (no interference)

Question 14

Serial

Answer 14

Different versions of the skill but the same order

Question 15

Random

Answer 15

Different versions of the skill, never same order

Question 16

Contextual interference effect

Answer 16

Learning benefit resulting from performing multiple skills in a high contextual interference practice schedule (random), rather than perform the skills in a low CI schedule (blocked)

Question 17

Is contextual interference appropriate for all stages of learning

Answer 17

Beginners need blocked to become familiar
Must be able to recognize their errors

Question 18

2 hypotheses for why contextual interference effect occurs

Answer 18

1. Elaboration hypothesis
2. Action plan reconstruction hypothesis

Question 19

Elaboration hypothesis

Answer 19

elaboration of memory representation of the skill variations that a learner is practicing

Question 20

Action plan reconstruction hypothesis

Answer 20

High amounts of CI benefit learning because the interference requires a person to reconstruct an action plan one’s subsequent practice trials for each skill variation
- must stay focused

Question 21

Why does contextual interference effect occur?

Answer 21

1. Higher levels of CI involves greater attention demands during practice
2. People who practice according to a blocked schedule tend to overestimate how well they are learning during practice

Question 22

Specificity of practice hypothesis

Answer 22

Test performance is directly related to the similarity between characteristics of the practice and test conditions

Question 23

What are the 3 test characteristics related to practice specificity hypothesis

Answer 23

1. Sensory/perceptual characteristics
2. Performance context characteristics
3. Cognitive processing characteristics

Question 24

What are sensory/perceptual characteristics

Answer 24

Motor skill learning is specific to sources of sensory info available during practice
Ex) use of vision - if used during performance should be available for practice
Ex) if using right hand must watch someone using same hand

Question 25

Performance context characteristics

Answer 25

More the memory test resembles the practice, the better retention performance will be
Ex) testing in same environment as practice to help retrieve info

Question 26

Intentional remembering

Answer 26

When you must remember specified characteristics of an environmental context

Question 27

Incidental remembering

Answer 27

Remembering of related but nonessential parts of the context

Question 28

Cognitive processing characteristics

Answer 28

Practice needs some type of cognitive processing as is required in transfer test
If test requires rapid decision making, practice should consist of activities with rapid decision making

Question 29

Transfer appropriate processing theory

Answer 29

The type of practice that is best when a person is learning a skill requires the same TYPE of cognitive processing activity that will be required in a transfer test, regardless of physical similarity between practice and test skills

Question 30

What does the practice variability hypothesis explain

Answer 30

Retention and transfer benefit associated with practicing multiple variations of a skill

Question 31

What does the practice specificity hypothesis explain

Answer 31

Why retention and transfer performance tend to be better when the practice and test contexts are similar relative to sensory/perceptual info, environment context, or cognitive processing requirements

Question 32

The higher the contextual interference during practice, the …

Answer 32

More similar to the test situation it actually is