Motor Learning & Skill Acquisition 19.1

Basic Principles of Motor Learning and Skill Acquisition The more we perform a skill, the better we get at it Ability to master increasingly difficult skills is enhanced as we grow and develop Motor Learning: Process by which a person develops, through a combination of physical and psychological factors, the ability to perform a task The root of any motor activity lies in the sensory and nervous systems

Division of Motor Activity Automatic Motor ActivityControlled Motor Activity Involves very little thought Results in movement that appears to be an almost unconscious reflex action Eg: baseball batter ducking at a wild pitch Requires relatively more thought and time to perform Eg: Soccer player weaving in between opponents

The Principle of Individual Differences same way that people have different anatomical and physiological makeups and appearances, so too do individuals differ widely in terms of how quickly and easily they learn new motor skills.

Acquisition of Motor Skills Gallahue (1993) proposes that children move through a developmental progression in the acquisition of motor skills. –reflexive movement phase –rudimentary movement phase –fundamental movement phase, –specialized movement phase The sequence of the appearance of these phases is universal, although the rate of acquisition of motor skills varies from child to child.

Acquisition of Motor Skills reflexive movement phase ranges from birth to about 1 year of age. In this phase the infant engages in reflexive movements. rudimentary movement phase includes the basic motor skills acquired in infancy: reaching, grasping and releasing objects. Form the foundation for the fundamental phase. fundamental movement phase ranging from ages 2-7. Increased control over their gross- and fine-motor movements. First learn skills in isolation from one another and then are able to combine them with other skills as coordinated movement. specialized movement phase begins at about 7 years of age and continues through the teenage years and into adulthood.

Stages of Motor Learning Fitts and Posner’s “classic” stages-of-learning model Gradual changes between stages (not sudden shift) Cognitive Stage –Come to basic understanding of task; learner commits relatively large errors and may need specific instruction on how to improve Associative Stage –Learners begin to refine skill; develop some awareness of mistakes being made; effort becomes more consistent Autonomous Stage –Skill becomes “automatic”; not much time spent thinking about basic fundamentals; aware of mistakes and how to correct them

Factors Affecting Skill Development Reasons for errors and faults in skills: incorrect understanding of movement poor physical abilities poor coordination of movement incorrect application of power lack of concentration inappropriate equipment, clothing, or footwear External factors (eg. Weather) Can you think of anything else?

Teaching and Learning a Skill In many cases, people are unable to learn complex skills on their own

Singer’s Five-Step Process University of Florida Psychologist Rober Singer published a series of papers in the 1980’s on skill development Five building blocks to teaching and learning a skill

Five-Step Process to Teaching and Learning Skills Readying –Preparatory; work to attain ideal mental and emotional state Imaging –Develop “picture” in mind of correct skill execution Focusing –Block out external and internal distractions; “zero” in on skill Executing –Learner attempts skill after completing first three stages Evaluating –Assess which aspects of skill were successful and which need improvement

Think of a Skill Think of a skill that you learned. How did you use the (some) of the Five-steps to learn it? Take 5 minutes and discuss with class

Motor Learning and Feedback Feedback - information to performers about the proficiency with which they move Intrinsic Feedback - internal feedback received during and after the execution of a movement - the normal sensory information received during and after hitting a baseball Extrinsic Feedback - external feedback received after the movement is completed - coaches, teachers, experimenters are sources of extrinsic feedback to the performer

KP and KR Feedback Knowledge of Results (KR) - information received concerning the extent to which a movement accomplished the intended goal - if you attempt to kick a football through the center of the goal posts, KR is the information you receive concerning your success Knowledge of Performance, aka kinematic (KP) - information received about the actual execution of the movement - Was the movement performed correctly or the way it was intended to be performed? - the information provides a basis on which to assess the correctness of the movement

How might one use KR And KP feedback in improving golf swing?

Skill Transferability Skills learned for one sport can often be transferred to another sport Hand-eye co-ordination in hitting a baseball can be used to catch a fast moving football