Week 7

Question 1

What is a motor learning process

Answer 1

• a set of events or occurances that lead to a product or state of change
  -largely assumed

Question 2

Relatively permanent change

Answer 2

-change of state that is not readily reversible

Question 3

Learning

Answer 3

-should have some lasting effect
-you are a different person
-some underlying change that is stable

Question 4

Hebbian processes

Answer 4

-neurons that fire together, wire together
-the more common pathways fire, greater chances they will fire in this pattern again

Question 5

Activation in networks can be observed by?

Answer 5

-looking at outputs (electrical energy)
-looking at energy consumption (bloodflow)

Question 6

Functional connectivity analysis

Answer 6

-examines the time series of FMRI data in different brain regions
-examines strength of these relationships with regions of interest
-measure conductivity of blood flow between one area to another

Question 7

Functional connectivity and learning

Answer 7

-some studies have shown that functional connectivity can predict motor learning

Question 8

Adaptation

Answer 8

-the trial to trial modification based on error feedback
-person must de-adapt after the behaviour
-show an after effect
-transient change

Question 9

How to measure adaptation

Answer 9

-aquisition tests

Question 10

How to measure learning

Answer 10

-retention and transfer tests

Question 11

Different types of performance curves

Answer 11

-linear
-negatively accelerated
-positively accelerated
-sigmoid (S)

Question 12

Factors affecting performance

Answer 12

-between participants variability
-within-person variability
-ceiling effects
-floor effects

Question 13

Ceiling and floor effects

Answer 13

-its much harder to improve your score in gymnastics from a 9 to a 10 than from a 5 to a 6
-also much harder to reduce score in golf when your stroke number is high not low

Question 14

Retention tests

Answer 14

-testing participant on same task after a time interval

Question 15

Transfer tests

Answer 15

-testing participant on new variations of the practiced task

Question 16

Learning with robotic guidance study example

Answer 16

-learning with robot only 50% of time instead of 100% of time leads to better learning

Question 17

Double transfer tests

Answer 17

-test both groups in both practice conditions in retention and transfer to control for the effect of bias because of practice conditions

Question 18

Performance variables

Answer 18

-influence performance in transient ways

Question 19

Learning variables

Answer 19

-influences performance in relatively permanent ways

Question 20

Overlearning

Answer 20

-continuing to practice after reaching performance ceiling

Question 21

Overlearning benefits

Answer 21

-still reach ceiling effect but in less time or with less effort

Question 22

Other ways of assessing learning

Answer 22

-performance of a secondary task
-measuring indices of effort
-measuring response latency
-generalizability of learning

Question 23

How to measure the rate of learning

Answer 23

-there is no real measure of the rate of learning

Question 24

Massed practice

Answer 24

-practice with very little rest in between trials

Question 25

Distributed practice

Answer 25

-practice with longer rest periods in between trials

Question 26

Is massed or distributed practice better

Answer 26

-distributed

Question 27

Role of fatigue on learning

Answer 27

-fatigue is worse for learning

Question 28

Constant practice

Answer 28

-one variation of a task per practice session

Question 29

Variable practice

Answer 29

-many variations of a task within a practice session

Question 30

Is constant or variable practice better

Answer 30

-variable

Question 31

What does variable practice also increase

Answer 31

-generalizability of learning
-better performance on retention and transfer

Question 32

Schema theory

Answer 32

-with practice people develop their own rules or “schemas” about their own motor behaviour
-variable practice produces a schema for selecting parameters of the GMP
-if you get used to specifying a variety of inputs to produce desired outcomes, you get better at calling on those outputs