Task 7 - Skill Learning Flashcards
What are the two groups of skills?
Perceptual motor skills, Cognitive skills
A skill can be _______ or ____________.
Open, Closed
Explain closed and open skills
- Open: A skill in which movements are made based on cognitive decisions
- Closed: Performing automatic, preplanned movements
What are some characteristics of skill memory?
- Long lasting
- Improved by repetition
- Non-declarative
- Often implicit
Name a task that is commonly used to test implicit skill learning
Serial reaction time task
Skills are tied to specific circumstances or situations. What is the technical term for this?
They are “transfer-specific”
What is Thorndike’s “Identical elements theory”?
The more elements of the new situation are identical to the situation in which a skill is learned, the better will the skill be performed.
Opening a new door is an easy task because most people have encountered many doors in their life. This is an example for the workings of ________.
Learning set formation – It is easier to learn a new skill if you’re already familiar with similar tasks.
What is something that helps when learning a skill?
- Knowledge of results: feedback about performance
- Observational Learning
Explain habit slips in terms of “motor program”.
A habit slip is when a motor plan is accidentally executed.
What experiment showed that it could be that some skills are dependent on genes?
Rotary Pursuit Task – identical twins became more and more similar over trials while fraternal twins became more different
Why do learning curves flatten out after many trials?
Power law of practice:
Improvement from trial to trial diminishes after a certain point.
Name and explain the three stages in skill learning according to Fitt.
- Cognitive Stage: fast learning, mental effort
- Associative Stage: slow learning, more use of learned actions
- Autonomous Stage: asymptotic performance, skill is becoming motor program
What are the effects of massed vs spaced practice?
- Massed: produces good results on short term basis
- Spaced practice: better retention of learned skill
What is the difference between constant and variable practice?
- Constant: practicing a limited set of actions in a stable environment
- Variable: Performing skills under changing circumstances (leads to better all-round performance)
