Related Experiment Videos
Shifts in attention demands and motor program utilization during motor learning
1Division of Physical Education, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37916, USA.
Journal of Motor Behavior
|June 1, 1978
Summary
Motor learning involves stable motor programming but reduced attention demand over practice. This suggests motor programs adapt, potentially expanding the concept of motor control during skill acquisition.
Area of Science:
- Motor Learning
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Motor skill acquisition involves changes in motor program utilization and attention.
- Understanding these changes is crucial for theories of motor control and learning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between motor program utilization and attention demand during motor task learning.
- To investigate how practice affects these two factors.
Main Methods:
- Participants performed a primary arm movement task and a secondary auditory reaction time task.
- Schmidt's (1972) index of preprogramming measured motor program utilization.
- Probe reaction time assessed attention demand.
Main Results:
- Motor program utilization remained stable across four days of practice.
- Attention demand generally decreased with continued practice.
- Experimental subjects performing both tasks showed these combined effects.
Conclusions:
- Motor programming is a stable component during the initial stages of motor learning.
- Attention demand decreases as a motor task becomes more automated.
- Findings support an expanded view of the motor program concept in motor learning.