OPTIMAL Theory of Motor Learning

What does OPTIMAL stand for

-O: optimizing

-P: performance

-T: through

-I: intrinsic

-M: motivation and

-A: attention for

-L: learning

Social-cognitive-affective factors that facilitate motor learning

-Autonomy: choice in practice situations

-Enhanced expectancies: assurance of a successful experience

-External focus of attention: focus on task goal, rather than on body movements

Autonomy leads to:

-improved motivation

-increased accuracy

-better balance

-maximum force production

-reduced oxygen consumption for a given intensity

-more efficient muscle activation patterns

autonomy methods studied:

-control over practice conditions

-instructional laguage

-incidental choices

Control over practice conditions:

-”how many reps do you think you can do?”

-”Let me know if you want a demonstration.”

-”The bar is here if you need help for your balance

-”Do you want to use the can or walker today?”

Instructional language

-DO NOT SAY: “I want you to…” BAD

-”Do you think you can try …. that with your eyes closed?”

-”See if you can … balance on here.:

-”Do you feel you could try … more weight?”

Incidental choices

Even giving individuals choices that are incidental to the motor task has been demonstrated to have a positive effect on the learning of the task

Choice order can increase learners’ willingness to do more reps

-Which color cones would you like to use?

-Would you like to do stairs or overground walking first?

-Would you rather do short intervals at a fast speed or walk at a constant pace?
-Which cardio machine do you want to warm up on?

-Choose a mat table, and I’ll meet you there!

Enhanced expectancies have been shown to:

-Enhance confidence and self-efficacy

-Increase task interest

-Decrease perceived effort

-Reduce concerns about one’s performance

-Promote positive affect

-Improve performance and learning

Enhanced expectancies methods studied

-Positive feedback

-social-comparitive feedback

-self-modeling

-perceived task difficulty

-conceptions of ability

Positive feedback

-instead of immediately correcting patient, ignore less successful trials

-provide feedback after good trials

social-comparative feedback

-”active people like you typically do well on this task”

-”I’ve seen other people with your condition do this”

-”You’re doing better than others at this phase of recovery”

-Patients who see others like them improving will believe they can, too

self-modeling

-performers who viewed edited videos of their best swimming strokes or trampoline skills showed enhanced learning

-consider, with permission, recording patients best trial on their own device for them to view

Perceived task difficulty

-avoid introducing an activity as being “difficult” or “hard”

-reuse social-comparative feedback statements; if peers can achieve it, so can they

-make the task goal more achievable or…

-Use a more liberal definition of success

can also celebrate recent successes or achievements

What about intensity?

-YES, but promote early success, then increase challenge

-Growing evidence that PT interventions incorporating mod to high cardiovascular intensity can improve the funciton and health of patients with neurological disorders

Conceptions of ability

-avoid telling patients “you are at high risk for falls” or “you have poor balance”

→They may believe this reflection an inherent lack of ability

→Study subjects with this fixed mindset showed decreased task interest, motivation, effort, and less effective learning

-Instead, emphasize potential for improvement and incremental learning

→”balance improves with practice”

→”You balanced well during this activity”

→” That was a great trial.”

Autonomy, enhanced expectancies, and care of the whole person

-allowing patients some control over the environment satisfies a basic psychological need for autonomy

-Facilitating success via enhanced expectancies satisfies the psychological need for competence

-both improve patient engagement, self-efficacy, persistence, and well-being

External focus

-Instructions or analogies thst direct attention away from ones body parts and to the intended effect of movement improves:

→effectiveness: accuracy in hitting a target, force production, maintaining balance

→Efficiency: reduced muscular activity, oxygen consumption, heart rate

→Learning speed

External focus examples: reach and posture

-”Place the cup on the shelf here” to promote elbow straightening

-”Place the cup on the counter without spilling the water” to maintain ones grip

-”Reach for the mug” to open hand

-Show me the graphic on your shirt” to stand up straight/pull shoulders back/hips forwars

-”Read the next work on the wall chart/keep head laser on the big circle” to pick head up and look upExternal focus examples: reach and posture

External focus examples: sit to stand and gait

-”pretend theres a band holding you back in the chair” or “keep this dollar under your shoe” to lean forward more/nose over toes

-”sit down as queitly as syou can” to not plop down when going to sit or sit down slowly

-”pretent your walking in mud/flippers/snow/over a puddle” to pick up foot more/take larger step

-”dont let card touch floor” (card taped to bottom of shoe) or “keep your shoes from making noise on floor” to lift toes more/promote DF

-”walk to the metronome beat” to spend more time on one leg/go faster

Predictions (triple play)

-How many steps do you think you can do today?

→Autonomy: patient controls the prediction

→Enhanced ecpectancies: patient expects to achieve the goal

→external focus: patient focuses on the number of steps, not self

goal action coupling

-fluidity with which intended movement goal is translated into action

-autonomy, enhanced expectancies, and external focus allow learners to focus on their action goal

→reduces detrimental self focus

→triggers release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that supports motor performance and learning

positive neuroplasticity

-goal-action coupling promotes neural efficiency

→Functional connectivity: With increasing task practice and skill, large and distinct brain regions communicate with each other

→ Structural brain changes: new connections are formed via dendritic spine growth (synaptogenesis) and other neuroplastic changes

Summary: three motivational and attentional factors:

-Autonomy

-Enhanced expectancies

-External focus

Summary: each factor contributes independently to …

-coupling goals to actions, promoting neuroplasticity

-Additive effects of all three

Summary: promoting autonomy

-is supported by offering some control over practice conditions (choice order, color of objects used, feedback, demonstration, device use, speed/resistance/duration) and avoidance of controlling language

Summary: promoting enhanced expectancies

-through postive feedback, social-comparative feedback, self-modeling, lowering percieved task difficulty, and facilitating growth mindset

Summary: promoting external focus

-instructions focused on the task goal, rather than on internal body movements