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Motor Performance, Mental Workload and Self-Efficacy Dynamics during Learning of Reaching Movements throughout
Isabelle M Shuggi1, Hyuk Oh1, Helena Wu2
1Department of Kinesiology, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA; Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
Neuroscience
|July 21, 2019
Summary
Learning new motor skills involves cognitive resources and self-belief. This study shows performance improves first, then mental workload decreases, and finally self-efficacy increases during skill acquisition.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Motor Learning
- Human-Computer Interaction
Background:
- Motor skill acquisition relies on cognitive-motor resources and psychological factors like self-efficacy.
- Limited research has explored the combined dynamics of mental workload and self-efficacy during motor learning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the concurrent changes in motor performance, mental workload, and self-efficacy during the learning of a novel reaching skill.
- To understand the interplay between cognitive-motor resource allocation and psychological states in motor skill acquisition.
Main Methods:
- Participants learned to control a virtual robotic arm using head movements over eight practice sessions.
- Motor performance, mental workload, and self-efficacy were assessed throughout the learning process.
Main Results:
- Motor performance improved most rapidly, followed by a decrease in mental workload, and then an increase in self-efficacy.
- Improved performance correlated with reduced cognitive-motor resource recruitment and lower mental workload.
- Increased self-efficacy was observed as performance became more automatic and mental workload decreased.
Conclusions:
- Early motor learning prioritizes task demands, limiting resources for self-efficacy assessment.
- As skills become automated, reduced mental workload frees attentional resources, enabling self-efficacy evaluation.
- Findings inform the design of assistive technologies and training strategies for motor skill acquisition.
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