Stages of and Measuring ML

Question 1

Define Motor Learning

Answer 1

a set of internal processes associated with practice or experience leading to a relatively permanent change in the capability for skilled behavior

Learner has to store internally what they have learned

Question 2

Does ML allow for trial and error?

Answer 2

Yes, allows error

Question 3

Skill

Answer 3

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

Question 4

Stages of Learning: Fitts and Posner

Answer 4

Cognitive phase

Associative phase

Autonomous phase

Question 5

Cognitive phase

Answer 5

• “the talking & demonstration phase”
• learner is new to the task
• understand the nature of the task
• experiments with a variety of strategies
• -Lots of errors are made
• performance is quite variable
• improvements are at a rapid rate
• phase may last minutes, hours, days

Question 6

Associative phase

Answer 6

• “the less talking phase”
• learner has selected the strategy
• refining the skill
• performance is less variable
• improvements are at a much slower rate
• phase may last days, weeks, months

Question 7

Autonomous phase

Answer 7

• Dual-Task/Multitasking phase
• skills have become largely automatic
• less attention to primary task
• begin to attend to secondary task(s)
• may attend to other sensory aspects of the environment
• may change performance slightly to conserve energy

Question 8

Learning curve as it changes during the three stages of learning

Answer 8

1. Lot of variability and rapid increase in skill
2. Little bit of variability but generally level
3. Levels off

Error decreased over time

Question 9

Gentile’s 2-stage model

Answer 9

• Initial stage (Getting the Idea of the movement)

- Later stage (fixation/diversification stage)

Question 10

Performance curves

Answer 10

Improving performance with practice

Know that it’s not as smooth and there are some variabilities

Question 11

Learned task becomes more automatic…

Answer 11

• reduced attention to primary task
• performance of a secondary task (Dual or multi-tasking)
• -e.g. carry out a mental task at the same time as a motor task

Question 12

Perform task with less physical effort

Answer 12

• decreased HR

- decreased perceived excursion (RPE)

Question 13

ML vs. Training

Answer 13

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

Training = temporary changes in performance

Question 14

Measuring Motor Learning - Retention

Answer 14

• performance of retention tests (carry-over is the clinical term)
• performance during the retention test reflects true motor learning

Question 15

Retention – measuring true learning

Answer 15

• The goal of treatment is retention or maintaining what the patient learned in a previous session or sessions (carry-over)
• Measure Retention after a break in time

Question 16

Retention-Difference Score

Answer 16

• amount of loss (or gain) over the retention interval
• difference between the last performance trial and the first retention trial
• Pt B retained more than pt A

Question 17

Retention-Savings Score

Answer 17

• the number of trials required to the subject to reach the level of proficiency achieved in the original performance
• ex: Pt A took more time and pt B to get back up to the score-shows retention (5 min vs. 15 min)

Question 18

Measuring Motor Learning

Answer 18

• perform a test (measurement) at the end of one treatment session (pre-test) and at the beginning of the next treatment session (before intervention) (post-test)
• True retention

Question 19

Ex: Patient Note demonstrating retention of a skill [reach and grasp]

Answer 19

1. pt required maximal PA to perform large grasp around mug (session start – day 1)
2. pt required minimal PA to perform large grasp (mug) and medium grasp (juice glass) (session end – day 1)
   [Trained ability]
3. patient required min PA to perform large grasp (mug) and maxPA to perform medium size grasp (juice glass) (session start – day 2)
   [Retained some ability ]

Question 20

Generalizability or Transfer of a Skill

Answer 20

• the ability to use what was learned in one task in another (similar or dissimilar) task
• the extent to which practice on one task contributes to the performance of other, related tasks (Schmidt and Lee)
• If tasks are similar, it may not always transfer over
• If you want something to transfer, you need to practice
• Occurs less than we think

Question 21

Transfer and Generalization

Answer 21

• the 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 (e.g. reaching for a pencil to put it in a pencil holder versus to write with it)

Question 22

Gentile’s 2-stage model: Initial Stage

Answer 22

“Getting an idea of the movement”
-Acquire a movement coordination pattern that allows
some degree of success.
–develops a movement that matches the regulatory conditions of the environmental context.
-Discriminate between regulatory and non-regulatory
conditions
–Characteristics in an environment which directly influences the movement required to reach a goal.
–Characteristics in an environment that do not influence the movement required to reach a goal.
-explore a variety of movement possibilities

Question 23

Gentile’s 2-stage model: Later Stage

Answer 23

“Fixation / Diversification”
-Performer is able to adapt the movement to any
performance situation.
-Performer increases their consistency in
achieving their goals.
-Person increases their economy of effort in
performing the movement.

Question 24

Gentile’s 2-stage model: Later Stage -Closed Skill

Answer 24

-Need to practice the skill including the
characteristics the learner will experience in the
everyday world.
-no change in environmental conditions, such as throwing darts, fixation is required for success

Question 25

Gentile’s 2-stage model: Later Stage- Open Skill

Answer 25

-Systematically vary the regulatory conditions of
actual performance situations as they would
appear in the everyday world.
-learner must learn to diversify the skill in order to adapt for the changing environment for success
-learn how to monitor the environmental conditions and modify the movement pattern accordingly.