Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

A noted on the relationship between task requirements and the contextual interference effect.

H Carnahan1, D L Van Eerd, F Allard

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo.

Journal of Motor Behavior
|March 1, 1990
PubMed
Summary

Random practice schedules enhance motor skill learning, but only for tasks involving movement. Blocked practice was better during learning for movement tasks, but random practice led to superior retention.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A global cloud map of the nearest known brown dwarf.

Nature·2014
Same author

What skills should simulation training in arthroscopy teach residents? A focus on resident input.

International journal of computer assisted radiology and surgery·2013
Same author

Models of very-low-mass stars, brown dwarfs and exoplanets.

Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences·2012
Same author

Compensatory postural adaptations during continuous, variable amplitude perturbations reveal generalized rather than sequence-specific learning.

Experimental brain research·2008
Same author

Application of motor learning principles to complex surgical tasks: searching for the optimal practice schedule.

Journal of motor behavior·2007
Same author

Quantification of process measures in laparoscopic suturing.

Surgical endoscopy·2006

Area of Science:

  • Motor Learning
  • Cognitive Psychology

Background:

  • Contextual interference (CI) is a phenomenon where random practice schedules enhance motor skill learning compared to blocked schedules.
  • Previous CI research often involved tasks with movement, spatial, or timing components, leaving the specific contribution of each unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of movement versus timing tasks on the superior learning typically observed with random practice schedules.
  • To determine if movement requirements are essential for the contextual interference effect.

Main Methods:

  • Participants were assigned to either a movement task (releasing a button to knock over a barrier) or a no-movement task (estimating time durations).
  • Within each task condition, participants practiced three variations in either a blocked or random schedule.

Related Experiment Videos

  • A retention test was administered to assess learning outcomes.

    • Main Results:

    • In the movement condition, the blocked group showed better acquisition, but the random group demonstrated superior retention.
    • In the no-movement (timing) condition, no significant differences were found between blocked and random practice groups during acquisition or retention.

    Conclusions:

    • Movement requirements are crucial for facilitating learning through random practice schedules.
    • The contextual interference effect, favoring random practice for retention, appears dependent on the presence of motoric elements in the task.