Scheduling Practice

Question 1

T/F: repetitive motor activity alone does not produce functional reorganization of cortical maps?

Answer 1

True.

Brain is plastic in response to challenge, not familiarity.
Have to learn a skill to reorganize the brain.

Question 2

When should we make the decision to stop practice of a certain activity when we can no longer see changes?

Answer 2

If we see a plateau we may need to change what we are measuring, instead of stopping practice all together.

Question 3

In the real world getting 6-8 hr/day (which is what research shows is effective for learning) is unrealistic so what should we do?

Answer 3

Not waste time, make best of what we have.
HEP, must include many reps
Must be creative and meaningful/functional

No matter what clinic time is not likely to be enough. There has to be carry over to the real practice time in the community or at home.

Question 4

What are the types of practice?

Answer 4

Massed: periods of work w/o rest; length of time working is greater than time resting

Distributive: periods of work interspersed with periods of rest; length of time spent in work is equal to or less than amount spent in rest

Question 5

What are effects of massed vs. distributed practice schedules on performance ?

Answer 5

Longer rest periods are more beneficial to performance during practice of continuous tasks

Question 6

What are effects of massed v. distributed practice schedules on learning?

Answer 6

Giving more rest breaks is good for learning continuous tasks

Question 7

Why should we even consider massed practice as an option?

Answer 7

Total practice time. When time is limited massed may be more efficient. May also have advantage to massed practice when we consider remapping the brain.

Question 8

T/F: the interaction of the task and individual will not influence the benefits of massed vs. distributed practice?

Answer 8

False. It can influence it

Question 9

What must we consider when choosing massed practice?

Answer 9

Risk for musculoskeletal injury that may increase with fatigue.
Without cardiovascular monitoring we put patients at risk for heart attack or stroke

Question 10

What are effects of massed vs. distributed practice schedules for discrete tasks?

Answer 10

May be slight benefit to massed practice for both acquisition and learning for discrete tasks.

Question 11

T/F: if task will be done in massed conditions, practice should be done in massed condition?

Answer 11

True. Conditions required for tests of learning should be used in the acquisition phase

Question 12

What is mental fatigue?

Answer 12

First stage of motor learning has large cognitive component so learners must be able to attend to the task to learn.

So if someone has trouble paying attention for long periods of time we need to distribute practice or be creative in keeping their attention.

Question 13

T/F: Schema theory says learning of a motor program is enhanced by practicing various parameters of a skill

Answer 13

True.

Question 14

Is variability of practice good?

Answer 14

Compared to constant practice, results in poorer performance in acquisition but better performance in retention and transfer.
BUT
Some populations are affected differently by variability in practice than those populations included in most studies.
Some schedules of variability in practice may interfere with benefits one would otherwise expect.

Question 15

what populations may benefit from variability of practice?

Answer 15

Children
Some/limited evidence that women benefit

Individuals with brain damage: Adults with moderate to severe AD could not learn a motor skill under variable practice conditions.