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Using Virtual Reality to Transfer Motor Skill Knowledge from One Hand to Another
Published on: September 18, 2017
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Explicit instruction of rules interferes with visuomotor skill transfer
Kanji Tanaka1,2,3, Katsumi Watanabe4,5
1Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Rm 407-1B, 59th Bldg, 3-4-1 Ohkubo, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 169-8555, Japan. kanji.t9@gmail.com.
Experimental Brain Research
|March 10, 2017
Summary
Explicit knowledge aids visuomotor sequence learning transfer by reducing errors. However, instructed knowledge may slow performance, unlike spontaneously discovered insights.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Motor Learning
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Visuomotor sequence learning is crucial for skilled movements.
- Understanding how explicit knowledge influences skill transfer is important for optimizing learning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of explicit knowledge on visuomotor sequence learning transfer.
- To compare the effects of instructed versus spontaneously discovered explicit knowledge.
Main Methods:
- Participants learned a visuomotor sequence.
- A transfer session involved a reversed sequence.
- Groups differed in explicit knowledge acquisition: instruction, awareness, or unawareness.
Main Results:
- Explicit knowledge, whether instructed or aware, reduced errors during transfer.
- The instructed group exhibited slower performance compared to aware and unaware groups.
- Performance deficits in the instructed group persisted.
Conclusions:
- Explicit knowledge enhances accuracy in visuomotor skill transfer.
- Provided explicit knowledge can negatively impact performance speed.
- Spontaneously discovered knowledge may offer benefits over instructed knowledge for speed.
