ch 10

Chapter 10: Practice Schedules

Learning Approaches

• Individual preferences for skill acquisition can vary: repeated practice vs. varied practice.

Constant vs. Variable Practice

• Constant Practice: Better for performance acquisition.

• Variable Practice: Promotes better long-term retention.

• Retention Studies by Shea & Kohl (1991):   - Unrelated tasks in intertest intervals do not enhance retention.   - Related tasks significantly improve retention.   - Increasing related tasks does not linearly enhance retention benefits.

Learning vs. Performance

• Performance: Temporary skill expression.

• Learning: Permanent ability change due to practice.

• Constant practice enhances short-term performance; variable practice enhances long-term learning.

Implementation of Practice Variability

• When to Use:   - Constant Practice: Initial learning stages.   - Variable Practice: After mastering basic patterns.

• How to Introduce: Assess learner’s skill context; introduce regulatory or non-regulatory variations.

Contextual Interference

• Types of Practice: Blocked (low interference) vs. Random (high interference).

• Effectiveness: Blocked practice shows better short-term performance; random practice yields greater learning gains.

• Hypotheses Explaining Effects:   - Elaboration hypothesis: better task distinction in memory.   - Action plan reconstruction hypothesis: promotes forgetting and reconstruction of solutions.

Practical Implications

• Designing Practice Sessions: Incorporate contextual interference by randomizing skill variation.

• Practice Distribution:   - Massed Practice: Less rest, suited for motivated and conditioned learners.   - Distributed Practice: Longer rest, ideal for new or complex skills, and tasks requiring physical effort.

• Self-Regulated Practice: Learners control practice schedules, can increase contextual interference for better learning.

Maximizing Practice Efficiency

• Utilize rest for other activities.

• Substitute equipment to ensure active participation.