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The Organization of Action Sequences: Evidence From a Relearning Task
1Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, E10-034D, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. jordan@psyche.mit.edu
Journal of Motor Behavior
|June 1, 1995
Summary
This study investigated typing skill organization. Results suggest typing skill is not purely abstract and effector-independent, challenging previous hypotheses about motor control.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Motor Control
- Human-Computer Interaction
Background:
- Sequential behavior organization is crucial for skilled tasks like typing.
- The hypothesis of effector-independent sequential skill in typing was previously proposed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the organization of sequential behavior in transcription typing.
- To test the hypothesis that typing skill is solely abstract and effector-independent.
Main Methods:
- Two studies were conducted involving skilled typists (N=12).
- An experimental paradigm altered keyboards, allowing specific motor control components to adapt.
- Typing performance was assessed via pretest and posttest measures of speed and accuracy.
Main Results:
- Typists exhibited decrements in speed and accuracy after adapting to the altered keyboard.
- The observed performance decrements provided evidence against a strong effector-independent model of typing skill.
Conclusions:
- Sequential typing skill is not exclusively abstract or effector-independent.
- Motor control adaptations play a significant role in maintaining typing proficiency.
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