Motor Control and Learning: Retention and Transfer of Learning

Flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture on retention and transfer of motor skills, designed to aid in exam preparation.

Learning

A change in the capability of a person to perform a skill

Forgetting

The loss of the capability to perform a skill

Motor memory

The persistence of the acquired capability for performance

What are the subsystems of working memory?

Phonological loop, Visuospatial sketchpad, and Central Executive

What are the subsystems of long-term memory?

Procedural memory, Semantic memory, and Episodic memory

What is the function of the phonological loop?

Short term storage of verbal information

What is the function of the visuospatial sketchpad?

Short term storage of visually detected spatial information

What is the function of the central executive?

Coordinates information in working memory, including information retrieved from long term memory

What are the characteristics of working memory?

Stores information for a short time and has limited capacity

What are the characteristics of long-term memory?

Stores knowledge and information on a more permanent basis and appears limitless in capacity

What is procedural memory?

Storage of information about motor skills

What is semantic memory?

Factual and conceptual knowledge about the world

What is episodic memory?

Storage of personal experiences and events, as well as associations with time

What is retention?

The persistence or lack of persistence of performance

What is retention interval?

Time between the end of practice and the retention test

What is absolute retention?

The level of performance on the initial trial(s) of the retention test

What is relative retention?

The amount of loss in skill over the retention interval

How is percentage score calculated?

The amount lost during the retention interval divided by the amount originally learned

What is savings score?

The 'savings' in relearning a skill

What are continuous skills?

Skills that are typically retained for a long period of time

What are discrete skills?

Skills that show performance loss after a short period of time without practice

What is transfer?

The persistence or lack of persistence of performance on a task different from the one practiced

What effect can prior learning have on new learning?

Can facilitate, impede, or have no effect on new learning

What is positive transfer?

Skill acquired for one task improves performance on another task

What is negative transfer?

Skill acquired for one task hinders performance on another task

What does percentage transfer measure?

Improvement on task B as a result of prior practice on task A

What does savings score measure in transfer?

The amount of practice time 'saved' on task B by having first practiced task A

According to the Identical Elements Theory, what should be similar for better transfer?

General characteristics of the skill or performance should be as similar as possible

According to the Transfer-Appropriate Processing Theory, what should be similar?

Cognitive processes should be similar

What is near transfer?

Context of the practiced skill and the second skill are very similar

What is far transfer?

The two contexts are different

What is negative transfer?

When practicing one skill causes a decrease in the performance of a second skill

Can you provide an example of negative transfer due to spatial location?

Learning to drive a manual transmission, then driving a Volkswagon with the reverse in a new location

Can you provide an example of negative transfer due to timing structure?

Guitar Hero vs. Playing the Guitar

What is bilateral transfer?

Transfer of learning that occurs between two limbs

What is asymmetric transfer?

Bilateral transfer is maximized by practicing with a certain limb

What is symmetric transfer?

Bilateral transfer is not affected by which limb is used for practice

What is practice variability?

The variety of movement and context characteristics a learner experiences while practicing a skill

What is blocked practice?

Practice trials follow a blocked schedule, practicing one variation repeatedly then moving to another

What is random practice?

Multiple variations of a task are performed in random order

What is overlearning?

Practice beyond a criterion amount

What is massed practice?

Longer and fewer practice sessions with very short or no rest between trials

What is distributed practice?

Shorter and more frequent practice sessions with rest between trials

What is the memory consolidation hypothesis?

Long term memory requires time for consolidation, and memory storage may be enhanced by greater time between trials

What is whole practice?

Practicing a skill in its entirety

What is part practice?

Practicing parts of a skill before practicing the whole skill

What is fractionalization in part practice?

For skills requiring asymmetric coordination of the arms or legs, practice individual limbs

What is segmentation in part practice?

Practice parts in sequence, adding each part after achieving a certain level of performance

What is simplification in part practice?

Reduce skill difficulty by practicing an easier variation of the skill before practicing the skill itself