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)
At which point is skill learning more vulnerable for interference?
Early phase
What kind of skill is more likely to decay over time?
Cognitive skills
What is meant with latent consolidation?
Neural learning of skills continues even after explicit practice.
What are some characteristics of neural representations of skills?
1) If a muscle is used more frequently, its neural representation in the somatosensory cortex will increase in size.
2) If an area in the somatosensory cortex doesn’t get input from the according senses anymore, it can be used for other functions.
How is the Basal Ganglia involved in skill learning?
- Damage to it will lead to disruptions in skill acquisition and memory (especially perceptual-motor skills)
What are symptoms of Parkinson?
Motor function deteriorates due to reduction of dopaminergic neurons in the basal ganglia
-> Muscle tremors
-> Difficulty initiating movements
What are possible treatment options for Parkinson?
- Deep brain stimulation
2. Drug therapy
What are characteristics of Huntington’s Disease?
- Neurodegenerative
- Difficulties with inhibition
- Deficits in skill learning because of BG damage
Why is skill transfer easier in the early stages of learning?
Skill automation happens from front to back in the brain.
- In cognitive (early) stages, the skills activate the PFC more
- These cognitive skills are in close proximity of each other, so neural learning is easier
