Skill Memory (Exam 2) Flashcards
Skill
ability that can improve over time through practice
perceptual motor skills
learned movement patterns guided by sensory inputs
[Operant Conditioning]
Skill memory features
- are difficult to convey except by direct demonstration
- may be acquired without awareness
- require several repetitions —–> practice makes perfect
Cognitive skill
skills that require problem-solving or the application of a strategy
[dependent on developed intellectual skills]
Closed skill
involves performing predefined movements that, ideally, never vary
open skill
where movements are made based on predictions and changing demands of the environment
Encoding new memories
Repetition, Rehearsal, and practice are super important
Knowledge of results (Feedback)
Feedback about the performance of a skill critical to the effectiveness of practice
Power Law of Practice
a law stating that the degree to which each new practice session improves performance diminishes after a certain point, such that greater numbers of sessions are needed to further improve the skills; learning occurs quickly at first and then slows down
[observational learning can help improve performance at platuae]
General Rules of Encoding New Memories
1.) The more times you perform a skill, the faster /better you’ll be able to perform it in the future.
2.) The extent to which practice can improve performance decreases as the amount of practice increases
Massed practice
concentrated continuous practice of a skill
Spaced practice
practice of a skill that is spread out over several session
Constant practice
practice involving a constrained set of materials and skills
[dribbling a basketball while standing in one spot]
Variable practice
practice that involves the performance of skills in a wide variety of contexts
[dribbling a basketball while running]
Implicit memory
learning that occurs without the learner’s awareness of performance improvements or, in the case of individuals with amnesia, awareness that practice had occurred.
Motor program
a sequence of movements that an organism can perform automatically (with minimal attention) to motor program (habits)
Pitts three stages to skill learning
- Cognitive stage
- Associative stage
- Autonomous stage
Transfer of training
the transfer of skill memories to novel situations
Transfer specificity
the restricted applicability of learned skills to specific situations
Identical elements
Thorndike’s proposal is that learned abilities transfer to novel situations to the extent that depends on the number of elements in the new situation that are identical to those in which the skills were encoded.
Learning set information
acquisition of the ability to learn novel tasks rapidly based on frequent experiences with similar tasks.
When memory fails…what you don’t use, you’ll likely lose
Skill decay
loss of skill due to non-use
Skill memory in the brain
Basal ganglia
cerebellum
cerebral cortex
Ganglia
cluster of neurons
