W1 - Measuring Learning

Question 1

Define what is meant by Motor Learning

Answer 1

• The process of acquiring the capability for producing skilled actions
• Learning occurs as a direct result of practice or experience
• Learning cannot be observed, only determined from a change in behaviour
  Learning is relatively permanent
• not directly observable but can be seen through the below characteristics

Question 2

What are some characteristics that a person shows when they learn?

Answer 2

• Improvement(through practise and time)
• Consistency(movements and outcome of those movements to be more consistent)
• Persistency(permanent, short-term or persistent change in behaviour)
  Adaptability(applying the skill into different situations)

Question 3

How do performance curves show learning with negative and positive acceleration

Answer 3

• NEG acceleration - great gains early on, but then gradually decreases(takes a long time to get better)
• POS acceleration - takes a long time to make progress in the activity(usually in difficult tasks)

Question 4

What is another way to measure learning on a graph?

Answer 4

Instead of measuring performance, we can measure error –> measures the consistency of performance
- Y-axis: Performance measure (e.g. an error score or points tally)
- X-axis: Time over which performance is measured (e.g. a series of trials)

Question 5

Why is it important to have the right level of scoring sensitivity?

Answer 5

• Measuring systems must be sympathetic so that we can see improvement, but nor OVERLY sympathetic so that movement is NOT shown & improvement not shown
• Same person has shown same amount of improvement but depending on the type of measurement system used determines how well it is detected

Question 6

What literature example shows the right level of scoring sensitivity used?

Answer 6

Outcome Measure (Bennett et al., 1999)
- Measures the catching in children
- More sympathetic = shows an increase in performance (in this case), how well the ball is caught (using body, knee, juggle ball) vs caught/not caught

Question 7

What are the limitations of using performance curves?

Answer 7

• Practice may misrepresent learning – e.g. fatigue, motivation, environmental variables
• Averaging individual results masks actual trends (between-subject and within-subject variability)
• effects of Age on the ability to carry out the behaviour - e.g. a difficult or easy task
• Floor(nobody can do task-no improvement) and ceiling effects – e.g. performance plateaus

Question 8

What is indicated when a performance curve plateaus?

Answer 8

Plateau does not mean learning is not occurring - could be reorganising our coordination structure

Question 9

What does a retention test measure?

Answer 9

• Retention Tests
  – Examines the ‘permanence’ & ‘persistence’ of performance
  – Performed after a period of no practise/rest
  e.g.: seeing how well that new skill has been learned (long-term)
• Retention test can record higher or lower quality performance when participants return to the experiment
• Retention test can record higher or lower quality performance when participants return to the experiment
  
  • Retention can depend on how long is left between the original and retention test

Question 10

What is measured in a transfer test?

Answer 10

• Transfer test
  – Examines the ‘adaptability’ element of performance
  – Learner must adapt the skill being practised to a novel situation
  – The environment or skill itself may be varied
  e.g.: taking new learnt skill into a new environment
• some people get better/worse depending on stress, motivation to win etc.

Question 11

Who made a study about retention in participants ability to draw a perfect circle?

Answer 11

Retention (Lee et al.,1995):
- There may have been rapid gains in performance HOWEVER this does not show that the behaviour has be learnt

Question 12

What can be shown in retention and transfer tests about a persons ability to learn?

Answer 12

• Some behaviours can show a sharp increase in performance BUT skill NOT learnt
• Some behaviours can show a lower increase in performance BUT skill is learnt

Question 13

What are some factors which need to be considered when designing a learning experiment?

Answer 13

• Groups – size, matched – ability/age/experience etc
• Sensitivity of measurements
• Practice – amount and type (to be covered)
• Retention/transfer tests – appropriate retention period