The effects of practice schedules on the process of motor adaptation

Walking is a well-practiced skill but requires adapting steps online to meet external constraints. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of types of practice schedules (i.e., blocked versus random practice) on the process of adapting and generalizing motor actions.

To examine how practice schedules influence the process of adaptation and generalization during walking, 60 young, healthy adults walked to normal, slow, and fast metronome paces: 30 with blocked practice and 30 with random practice. Paces were interspersed with 2 carryover trials with no beat. Subsequent paces were a test of generalizing adaptation from the old to the new metronome pace.

The results showed that participants who received blocked practice acclimated more quickly to the metronome beat. Specifically, the blocked practice group altered their walking more quickly during the fast metronome pace. In contrast, the random practice group matched the metronome beat more quickly during the slow pace. Participants who received blocked practice demonstrated carryover effects during carryover trials after walking to the metronome.

These findings extend an understanding of how the process of adaptation unfolds over time with the imposition of timing constraints.