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Updated: Sep 30, 2026

The "Motor" in Implicit Motor Sequence Learning: A Foot-stepping Serial Reaction Time Task
Published on: May 3, 2018
The impact of response mode on implicit and explicit sequence learning
Christiane Zirngibl1, Iring Koch
1Ludwigs Maximilians University of Munich, Department for Educational Psychology and Empirical Pedagogy, Germany. zirngibl@edupsy.uni-muenchen.de
Abstract:
Evidence regarding the influence of response mode on sequence learning in serial reaction time (SRT) tasks has been mixed so far. In the present study, sequence learning was investigated under two different response conditions: manual (button presses) versus verbal (pronunciation of digits). Additionally, participants were divided post hoc into subgroups differing in their degree of explicit knowledge about the sequence. Results showed an interaction between response mode and type of learning (implicit vs. explicit), with explicit learning functioning more effectively under verbal than under manual conditions, whereas implicit learning was unaffected by the variation of the response mode. Implications concerning different underlying learning mechanisms (R-R learning vs. R-S learning) are discussed. Specifically, we suggest that the high response-effect distinctiveness of the verbal responses facilitated R-R learning.
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