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A Direct-Learning Approach to Acquiring a Bimanual Tapping Skill
Claire F Michaels1, Thábata V B Gomes1,2, Rodolfo N Benda1,2
1a Center for the Ecological Study of Perception and Action, Department of Psychology , University of Connecticut , Storrs , Connecticut.
Journal of Motor Behavior
|December 28, 2016
Summary
Direct learning theory helps understand motor skill acquisition, like bimanual tapping. However, some participants shifted to interval timing, suggesting a need to refine the direct learning theory.
Area of Science:
- Motor learning
- Cognitive psychology
- Human movement science
Background:
- The theory of direct learning explains improvements in perception and exploratory actions.
- Its application to complex motor skill acquisition, particularly bimanual coordination, requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the direct learning theory's efficacy in explaining the learning of a difficult bimanual tapping task.
- To analyze how participants adapt and learn specific phase relations in bimanual coordination.
Main Methods:
- Twenty participants learned to tap with index fingers at 2 Hz with a 90° phase lag.
- Computer feedback provided real-time error information on period and phase.
- Learning was assessed by analyzing the temporal dynamics and attractor states of tapping patterns.
Main Results:
- Participant success varied significantly, with some achieving the target 90° phase lag.
- A subset of participants developed attractors based on fixed interval timing rather than phase relationships.
- Changes in attractor dynamics were only partially explained by direct learning theory.
Conclusions:
- Direct learning theory offers partial explanation for bimanual tapping skill acquisition.
- The emergence of interval timing attractors suggests a shift in participant intention, independent of typical bimanual coupling.
- Elaboration of the direct learning theory is needed to account for diverse learning trajectories in motor tasks.
