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The "Motor" in Implicit Motor Sequence Learning: A Foot-stepping Serial Reaction Time Task
Published on: May 3, 2018
Motivation to avoid loss improves implicit skill performance
Danbee Chon1, Kelsey R Thompson1, Paul J Reber1
1Department of Psychology, Northwestern University.
Journal of Experimental Psychology. Learning, Memory, and Cognition
|September 22, 2017
Summary
Motivation to avoid loss significantly enhances implicit learning performance by improving knowledge expression, not the learning itself. This suggests fear of loss can boost skill application in practice.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Motor Learning
Background:
- Implicit learning, acquiring knowledge without awareness, is crucial for skill acquisition.
- The influence of motivation on implicit learning has remained largely unexplored due to its unconscious nature.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of motivation (approach vs. avoidance) and feedback type on implicit sequence learning performance.
- To determine if motivation affects the learning process or the expression of learned knowledge.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments utilized a well-established implicit sequence learning task.
- Motivation was manipulated (approach/avoidance), alongside feedback type (positive/negative).
- Performance on the sequence learning task was measured under different motivational conditions.
Main Results:
- Motivation to avoid loss consistently resulted in significantly higher sequence-specific task performance.
- Performance decreased to baseline levels when the motivation manipulation was removed.
- This indicates motivation enhanced the application of knowledge, not the learning itself.
Conclusions:
- Motivation, particularly the fear of loss, can enhance the expression of implicitly learned skills.
- This finding offers insights into optimizing coaching and training strategies by leveraging motivational techniques.
- Implicit knowledge application is sensitive to motivational states, even when the knowledge itself is unconscious.
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