Re-examining the temporal locus of knowledge of results (KR): a self-paced approach to learning

Using a self-paced procedure, the effects of unconfounded temporal locus of KR in the acquisition of a simple linear-positioning task was examined. Changes in the chronological profile of KR delivery were evaluated when participants manipulated the time course of the experiment at their own discretion. 29 participants (18 to 32 years) practiced finding an 8-in. line with no fixed starting and ending points. One-way repeated-measures analyses of variance, simple regression analyses across blocks of practice (30), and Pearson product-moment correlations between the KR-time intervals and the performance scores indicated that (a) under self-paced procedures both the KR-delay and post-KR interval decreased congruently with performance error scores, while the temporal component of the task (movement time) and the ratio between the KR-delay and the post-KR interval remained unchanged, (b) any effect on intertrial interval and interstimulus interval in motor skill acquisition should be examined in terms of the KR-delay and post-KR interval, and (c) the relationship between the performance scores and post-KR interval may be used to indicate the point at which KR is no longer required.