Motor Control and Learning Study Notes

Motor Control and Learning Overview

Categories of Abilities with Examples

Physical Proficiency

• Description: Involves physiological, anatomical, and biomechanical characteristics that contribute to physical performance.

• General examples include:

  • Lung capacity

  • Fiber type

  • Muscle strength

  • Tissue strength

  • Immunity

  • VO2 max (a measure of cardiovascular fitness)

  • Stature (height and body composition)

  • Bone mineral density

  • Postural control and balance

• Example motor skills requiring selected abilities:

  • High jumping

  • Marathon running

  • Playing soccer

  • Operating a jackhammer

Psychomotor

• Description: Involves perception-action coupling, speed and decision-making in motor actions, and characteristics like dexterity and precision.

• General examples include:

  • Motor reaction time

  • Limb coordination and timing

  • Movement precision

  • Dexterity and arm/hand steadiness

  • Knowing spatial orientation (kinesthesia)

  • Hand-eye coordination

• Example motor skills:

  • Catching a ball

  • Dancing

  • Driving

  • Playing a musical instrument

  • Playing soccer

  • Operating a jackhammer

Psychological

• Description: Involves behavioral and psychological characteristics affecting performance outcomes.

• General examples include:

  • Emotional control

  • Cognition and information processing speed

  • Memory capacity

  • Visualization quality

  • Attention control

  • Pattern recognition

  • Coherent and rapid information gathering

• Example motor skills:

  • Pitching

  • Volleyball libero tasks

  • Driving

  • Playing soccer

Integrated Model of QMD (Quality Motor Development)

Preparation

• Knowledge of the activity: Identify critical features and the goal of the movement.

• Knowledge of performers: Understanding individual differences in skill level.

• Relevant systematic observational strategies: Collecting useful data for enhancing performance.

Intervention

• Select appropriate intervention approaches:

  • Feedback: Providing constructive insights about performance.

  • Visual models: Demonstrative learning through examples.

  • Exaggeration: Highlighting specific aspects for enhancement.

  • Modifying the task: Adjusting conditions to facilitate learning.

  • Manual or mechanical guidance: Assisting or supporting during practice.

  • Conditioning: Reinforcing desired movements through practice.

• Principles for providing feedback: Focusing on key performance indicators and translating critical features into cues (repeating if necessary).

Evaluation and Diagnosis

• Evaluation of performance: Assessing the range of correctness of critical features, identifying strengths and weaknesses.

• Diagnosis of performance: Prioritizing weaknesses based on their impact on performance and providing rationale for prioritization.

Observation

• Implement observational strategies:

  • Consider the situation and vantage points.

  • Determine the necessary number of observations for accurate assessment.

  • Plan for extended observation when needed.

Validity vs. Reliability

Definitions

• Validity: The extent to which a test measures what it claims to measure.

• Reliability: The consistency of test results over time.

Types of Validity

• Internal Validity: Ability of a study to measure the intended variable without influence from extraneous factors.

• External Validity: The generalizability of study findings to other settings and populations.

Types of Reliability

• Internal Reliability: Consistency of results within the same test.

• External Reliability: Stability of test results across different situations or time periods.

Measurement of Information Processing

• Total Response Time (RpT): The time from a stimulus to the completion of the response, calculated as: $RpT = RT + MvT$

  • Reaction Time (RT): Time from a stimulus to the onset of a response.

  • Divided into:

    • Premotor Time: Time from the stimulus to the onset of muscle electrical activity (pure information processing).

    • Motor Time: Time from the onset of muscle electrical activity to the initiation of the motor response (known as electromechanical delay, EMD).

  • Movement Time (MvT): Time from the onset of movement to the completion of the movement.

Performance vs. Learning

• Performance: The observable and measurable outcome from executing a motor skill.

• Learning: A permanent change in an individual’s capability to perform a skill through practice or experience; it refers to improved potential or capability, not necessarily indicating immediate elevated performance.

Performance Curves

• Definition: Represents the change in performance over time as skills are learned or improved.

Types of Tests

• Retention Tests: Conducted after a period without practice to determine if performance remains elevated, providing evidence of consistency.

• Transfer Tests: Assess skill performance in a different context than the original practice environment, evaluating the stability and adaptability of the learned skill.

Fitts and Posner's Model of Motor Learning

Stages of Learning

1. Cognitive Stage: ("What to do")

   • Conveyance and acquisition of new information through trial and error.

   • Involves verbal and visual learning with a focus on organizing information and understanding the skill.

2. Associative Stage: ("How to do it")

   • Learners expend cognitive energy to understand movement execution; they have mastered basic movements and begin to refine skills.

3. Autonomous Stage: ("Do it")

   • Movements become automatic, requiring minimal cognitive effort; learners can focus on strategy.

   • Involves the translation of declarative knowledge into procedural knowledge and the elimination of mistakes through focused practice.

   • Important aspects include chunking, improving selective attention, and achieving a state of flow.

Discovery/Exploratory Learning

• Principle: Skills are not merely taught; learners discover and learn how to learn skills themselves.

• Instructor Role:

  • Reduce degrees of freedom in practice.

  • Create an optimal environment for skill acquisition.

Types of Practice

1. Massed Practice: Continuous practice without breaks (e.g., practicing a free throw continuously).

2. Distributed Practice: Practice interspersed with breaks for feedback and mental rehearsal (e.g., practicing a triple jump followed by reviewing recorded performances).

3. Blocked Practice: Practicing one motor skill completely before moving to another skill.

4. Random Practice: Practicing skills in a varied order within the same session.

5. Part Practice:

   • Breaking down skills based on task complexity.

   • Tasks low in complexity but high in organization should be practiced as a whole.

   • Tasks high in complexity and low in organization should be practiced in parts (e.g., tennis serve).

Task Constraints

• Definition: Conditions that dictate the nature or type of movement, seen as rules of the game or movement.

• Examples:

  • Dribbling requirements in basketball when moving the ball down the court.

  • Tasks that may involve hand-eye coordination, fast running, jumping, or single-leg balance can vary significantly among different sports.

  • A task's cognitive demands, scoring objectives, and coaching instructions also create other task-related constraints.

Environmental Constraints

• Types:

  • Regulatory Constraints: Affect the execution of motor skills (e.g., weather conditions, surface traction, lighting, presence of people or objects).

  • Nonregulatory Constraints: May influence movement but ideally should not; examples include crowd noise distractions, especially at away games.

Variability in Motor Performance

• Observation: While stability is desired in performance, inherent variability allows for flexibility to accomplish tasks in different ways.

• Implication: Variability enables adaptation for different individuals to perform motor skills successfully.