Movement Science Module 4

What is the most important factor in retraining motor skills?

Motor skills improve by doing them.

What is intrinsic feedback?

Feedback coming from your own sensory systems during movement.

intrinsic = inside you

What is extrinsic feedback?

Outside feedback added to your intrinsic feedback.

Extrinsic = external information.

Why are intrinsic and extrinsic feedback important?

They help the learner understand and improve movement. Extrinsic feedback gives extra information when intrinsic feedback is not enough.

What is Knowledge of Results, KR?

Feedback about the outcome or result of the movement.

KR = Did you reach the result?

What is Knowledge of Performance, KP?

Feedback about the pattern or quality of the movement.

KP = How did you perform the movement?

KR vs. KP?

KR = outcome
KP = movement quality

Results = what happened.
Performance = how it happened.

What is continuous feedback?

Feedback after every trial.

When is continuous feedback most useful?

Early in learning when the person needs more help.

What is faded feedback?

A lot of feedback early, then less feedback as learning improves.

Feedback “fades away.”

Why use faded feedback?

Give more help during early learning, then reduce help so the learner becomes more independent.

What is bandwidth feedback?

Feedback only when the error is greater than a certain level.

Small error = no feedback.

Big enough error = feedback.

What is summary feedback?

Feedback given after a group of trials instead of after each trial.

Summary = review several attempts together.

What is performance?

How well someone performs the skill during practice.

What is retention?

How well the person keeps the skill after practice.

What happens when you give more feedback during initial learning?

Performance usually improves.

What happens when feedback is gradually reduced?

Retention improves because the learner starts solving the movement on their own.

What is the main goal of physical therapy motor learning interventions?

Long-term learning and retention, not only good performance during the treatment session.

Performance = right now.
Retention = later.

What is constant practice?

Practicing the same task under the same conditions.

Best used: Early stages of learning.
Easy way: Constant = stays the same.

What is variable practice?

Practicing the same task while changing the conditions.

Benefit: Improves the ability to adapt and generalize learning.
Easy way: Variable = conditions vary.

Constant vs. variable practice?

Constant = same task, same conditions, good early in learning.
Variable = same task, changing conditions, helps adaptation and generalization.

What is blocked practice?

Practice one skill repeatedly before moving to the next skill.

Best for: Performance.
Easy way: One “block” of one skill.

What is random practice?

Different skills are practiced in an unsystematic order.
The trials are not repeatedly performed in the same order.

Blocked vs. random practice?

Blocked = one skill over and over.
Random = different skills mixed together.

What is whole skill practice?

Practice the entire skill together.

Best for: Low complexity and high organization.

Ex: handstand

What is part skill practice?

Break the skill into parts and practice the parts.

Best for: High complexity and low organization.
example: Basketball layup.

When should you use whole practice?

When the skill has fewer or simpler parts and the parts work closely together.

Whole = simple parts, highly connected.

When should you use part practice?

When the skill has many complex parts that are less dependent on each other.

Part = complex skill, break it down.

What is massed practice?

Practice time is much greater than rest time.

Best for: Discrete tasks.
Downside: Produces more fatigue.
Easy way: Massed = lots of practice, little rest

What is distributed practice?

Rest time is equal to or greater than practice time.

Best for: Continuous tasks or when more rest is needed.
Easy way: Distributed = practice spread out with more rest

Massed vs. distributed practice?

Massed = more practice, less rest.
Distributed = equal or more rest compared with practice.

What is physical practice?

Physically performing the skill.

What is mental practice?

Preparing or rehearsing the performance through imagery.

Mental = practice it in your mind.

What determines how much learning transfers to another task or environment?

How similar the two tasks or environments are.

More similar = more transfer.

How challenging should practice be?

Challenging enough to allow some errors and variability when appropriate.

Practice should not be so easy that no mistakes happen.

What is guidance learning?

The learner is physically guided through the task.

Best used: When first learning a new task.

What is discovery learning?

Learning through trial and error.

Discovery = learner figures it out through practice.

How should guidance change as someone learns?

Start with more guidance, then gradually replace it with discovery learning.

What two things should guide the therapist's intervention?

The type of task and the stage of the learner.

What should you understand before deciding how to teach a motor skill?

Understand the task first.

What taxonomy does the slideshow say to use when understanding the skill or task?

Gentile’s Taxonomy of Motor Skills.

What should therapists manipulate to improve motor learning?

Practice parameters.