PT633 – Key Concepts for Motor Learning Content
Motor Learning Concepts
o Difference between performance and learning
Performance: observable behavior, temporary, not due to practice
Learning: inferred from performance, permanent, due to practice
o Fitts and Posner’s 3-Stage Model of Learning
Cognitive: (early) aqusition of factual knowledge before attempt
Associative: (intermediate) diminish erroes, ability to detect errors
Autonomous: speed and effieciency, more automatic
o Closed vs Open Learned Skills
Closed: fixation on a basic movement
Open: ability to adapt to continuously changing conditions
o Measuring Motor Learning
Acquisition, retention, and transfer
Be able to distinguish between these based on a description or visual representation
of testing around practice (timing, task assessed, etc.)
o Characteristics that change with learning a motor skill
Rate of improvement, limb segment coordination, altering movement pattern, muscle
use, movement efficiency, kinematic goals, vosual/conscious attention, error
detection and correction capabilities
o Closed loop vs open loop error correction
Closed: sensory feedback used, slow deliberate movements
Open: no feedback, quick movements
Memory and Attention
o Rules of allocation of attentional resources
Allocate attention to ensure completeion of one task
Involuntary attention (distractions)
Allocate attention based on momentary intentions
o Measuring attention allocation through dual-task paradigm
2 tasks at once and measuring performance and usually decline (walking and talking)
o Difference between short term sensory store, short-term, and long-term memory
STSS: massive amounts of information for brief periods of time, rapid decay
STM: holds a few items for short periods of time
LTM: large amounts of information for long periods
o Types of Memory
Declarative (Explicit) Memory: descriptive (facts/events)
Procedural (implicit) Memory: skills and habits
Principles of Practice
o Amount: single most important consideration
o Distribution
Massed: very short rest periods
Distributed practice: long rest periods (better)
o Variability
Blocked (AAA) vs Serial (ABC, ABC) vs Random practice (CAB, ACB, BAC, etc.)
o Part vs Whole Practice
Demonstration and Instruction
o When is demonstration beneficial or not?
Most effective when skill requires new pattern of coordination
PT633 – Key Concepts for Motor Learning Content
Least when skill requires modification of well learn patterns of coordination
o When is verbal instruction beneficial or not?
Feedback
o Types:
Intrinsic – sensory systems – focus on internal attention/awareness
During a jump landing task, a therapist might provide the following
instructions, “While you are jumping, I want you to think about extending
your knees as rapidly as possible”
Extrinsic – focus on how movement affects the environment
Information/motivation – guides learner to the correct motor performance
During a jump landing task, a therapist might provide the following
instructions, “Jump as far as you can.” OR “While you are jumping, I want
you to think about pushing off of the floor as hard as you can.”
Knowledge of Results – verbalized, terminal information about goal
achievement or the outcome
Knowledge of Performance – verbalized, kinematic information about the
quality of the movement pattern produced
o Guidelines for feedback – when, how often?
Bandwidth Feedback – only if movement falls outside of acceptable range
Summary Feedback – withheld/delayed for period of time, then summarized
o Implicit vs Explicit Instructions
IMPLICIT/EXPLICIT MEMORY AND LEARNING IS DIFFERENT! Do not
confuse the with implicit and explicit instructions
Implicit instructions – provided information this not directly related to what is to be
learned about the motor skill/components of motor skill
Explicit instructions - provides the learner with specific information or directions
about what to focus on and what is to be learned from the task
Examples provided in Table 2 from article by Gokeler et al (2019) that you were
required to read for class and is provided in PP.
o Conditions to promote motor skill learning during acquisition vs retention/transfer
