Motor learning paradigm and contextual interference in manual computer tasks in individuals with cerebral palsy

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of disorders of movement and posture that cause activity limitations. Due to the different motor problems these individuals encounter there is a need to offer rehabilitation programs that promote motor learning. Additionally, the understanding of the learning patterns of these individuals can help us attend to their learning needs to maximize their learning efficiency.

The present study aimed to add to the knowledge base in regards to motor learning and the contextual interference (CI) effect.

The study included 40 individuals with CP and 40 typically developing (TD) participants matched for age and gender with the CP group. Both groups were divided into 2 subgroups regarding the practice schedule (random or constant practice) of a manual maze test on the computer. The participants who performed in the constant practice schedule performed the same standard maze 30 times, while participants in the random practice schedule performed a total of 30 trials on 5 mazes with a different spatial layout including the standard maze. After 5min of rest, retention was studied with a task in which all participants performed the standard maze. To examine the transfer effect, all participants also performed a maze with a new layout. Time of completion was registered in seconds for each trial.

The results showed that the performance was lower in individuals with CP compared to typically developing individuals. In addition, only the participants with CP showed a contextual interference effect, with performance after the random practice schedule being superior compared to participants who practiced with a constant practice schedule.

Overall performance was lower in individuals with CP compared to individuals with TD. Additionally, both TD individuals and individuals with CP showed the contextual interference effect in the transfer phase, with the execution of random practice leading to better performance than constant practice. These findings provide important information to assist clinicians in developing rehabilitation programs for children with CP.