Movement Science 3

What is motor learning?

Learning or relearning skilled movements.

What is the difference between learning and performance?

Learning = relatively permanent change

Performance = temporary change during practice

What is attention?

Focusing or shifting awareness to important information.

What helps motor learning and performance?

Attention + memory.

What is nondeclarative memory?

Implicit learning without conscious recall.

Types of nondeclarative learning?

Habituation, Sensitization, Classical conditioning, Operant conditioning, Procedural learning

What is declarative memory?

Knowledge you consciously remember.

What are the 4 processes of declarative memory?

Encoding, Consolidation, Storage, Retrieval

What helps teach motor skills?

Motivation, Attention, Relating new information

What is Schmidt’s Schema Theory?

Generalized motor programs and stored movement rules.

What does “schema” mean?

An abstract movement representation stored in memory.

What is Ecological Theory?

Perception and action work together based on the task and environment.

What are the Fitts and Posner stages?

Cognitive, Associative, Autonomous

Cognitive stage?

Lots of thinking, lots of errors, rapid improvement.

Associative stage?

Refines the skill, fewer errors, gradual improvement.

Autonomous stage?

Skill becomes automatic with little thinking.

What are Bernstein’s stages?

Novice, Intermediate, Expert

Bernstein novice stage?

Freeze degrees of freedom to simplify movement.

Bernstein intermediate stage?

Begin releasing degrees of freedom.

Bernstein expert stage?

Release and reorganize degrees of freedom, use passive forces.

What are Gentile’s 2 stages?

Initial stage, Later stage

Gentile initial stage?

“Getting the idea” of the movement.

Gentile later stage in a closed environment?

Fixation.

Gentile later stage in an open environment?

Diversification.

Main take-home message for motor learning?

Motor learning occurs in stages, so instruction should change with the learner’s stage.

What are the main principles of neuroplasticity?

Use it or lose it
Use it and improve it
Specificity
Repetition
Intensity
Time
Salience
Age
Transference
Interference

What does “Use it or lose it” mean?

If you do not use a function, the neural pathways weaken.

What does “Use it and improve it” mean?

Repeated use strengthens neural pathways.

What does specificity mean?

Train the exact task you want to improve.

Why does repetition matter?

Lots of practice is needed for neuroplastic change.

Why does intensity matter?

Higher challenge helps drive change, but too much intensity may be harmful in some conditions.

What are types of intensity?

Cardiovascular
Task difficulty
Cognitive
Weight
Environmental challenge
Load

Why does time matter?

Earlier rehab is often better, especially during prime recovery periods.

How does age affect neuroplasticity?

Younger brains have more neuroplasticity. Older age means less.

What does salience mean?

Practice should be meaningful and important to the patient.

What is transference?

Learning one skill helps another skill.

What is interference?

Learning or compensating in one area may hurt learning in another.