Constant-Random Practice and the Adaptive Process in Motor Learning with Varying Amounts of Constant Practice

Abstract

The adaptive process in motor learning was examined in terms of effects of varying amounts of constant practice performed before random practice. Participants pressed five response keys sequentially, the last one coincident with the lighting of a final visual stimulus provided by a complex coincident timing apparatus. Different visual stimulus speeds were used during the random practice. 33 children (M age=11.6 yr.) were randomly assigned to one of three experimental groups: constant-random, constant-random 33%, and constant-random 66%. The constant-random group practiced constantly until they reached a criterion of performance stabilization--three consecutive trials within 50 msec. of error. The other two groups had additional constant practice of 33 and 66%, respectively, of the number of trials needed to achieve the stabilization criterion. All three groups performed 36 trials under random practice; in the adaptation phase, they practiced at a different visual stimulus speed adopted in the stabilization phase. Global performance measures were absolute, constant, and variable errors, and movement pattern was analyzed by relative timing and overall movement time. There was no group difference in relation to global performance measures and overall movement time. However, differences between the groups were observed on movement pattern, since constant-random 66% group changed its relative timing performance in the adaptation phase.

Efeitos da quantidade e do regime de prática variada após a prática constante sobre o processo adaptativo de aprendizagem motora

“…structure/pattern formation (Corrêa et al, 2006(Corrêa et al, , 2007(Corrêa et al, , 2010a(Corrêa et al, , 2010b, one could think that this may not have been enough to prepare the skill structure for the diversification process. In this regards, recent studies by Ugrinowitsch et al (2010Ugrinowitsch et al ( , 2011 have shown that the extensive practice during the stabilization phase can provide the learners with more capacity to adapt.…”

“…Actually, with regard to the amount of practice we expected that there would be a critical threshold in which the acquired flexibility would be enough to promote adaptation as in the case of systems placed in a region of self-organized criticality (Kauffman, 1993;Langton, 1992;Packard, 1988). For instance, Corrêa et al (2006Corrêa et al ( , 2007Corrêa et al ( , 2010b showed that varying amounts of constant practice prior to random practice had similar effects on the adaptive process, and they concluded that the minimum amount of practice needed to the formation of a structure was enough for initiating the diversification process.…”

“…Participants, task, and apparatus were similar to those used by Corrêa and colleagues in previous studies (Corrêa et al, 2006(Corrêa et al, , 2007(Corrêa et al, , 2010a(Corrêa et al, , 2010b. Thirty-six right-handed children, both boys (n = 20) and girls (n = 16), with a mean age of 11.6 years (SD = 0.5) took part in the experiment.…”

“…Studies have shown that inexperienced adults can stabilize their performance at ±30 msec error threshold in this kind of task (Fonseca et al, 2012). However, children need ±50 msec to do that (Corrêa et al, 2006(Corrêa et al, , 2007(Corrêa et al, , 2010a(Corrêa et al, , 2010b. Thus, the criterion of three consecutive trials within an error threshold of ±50 msec was used in this study in order to guarantee that all learners reach the same performance level.…”

“…Three studies investigated this problem (Corrêa, Gonçalves, Barros, & Massigli, 2006;Corrêa, Barros, Massigli, Gonçalves, & Tani, 2007;Corrêa et al, 2010b). In each one the design involved three groups of different amounts of constant practice, before random practice.…”