Dyad training protocols and the development of a motor sequence representation

The purpose of the experiment was to determine the extent to which observation and the inter-trial dialogue in a dyad training protocol enhance the development of a movement sequence representation. The task was to reproduce a 1300ms spatial-temporal pattern of elbow extension/flexion movements. An inter-manual transfer design with a retention test and two effector transfer tests was used. The mirror transfer test required the same motor pattern of homologous muscle activation and a sequence of joint angles as experienced during the acquisition phase, and the non-mirror transfer test required the same visual-spatial pattern as practiced during acquisition. Participants (N=40) were randomly assigned to one of four groups (50 practice acquisition trials): a dyad training group where two participants alternated between physical and observational practice and permitting an inter-trial dialogue, a dyad training group where two participants alternated between physical practice and permitting a dialogue without observation, a dyad training group where two participants alternated between physical and observational practice without a dialogue, and an individual practice control group where one participant learned the movement sequence. The practice duration was for all participants identical. The results indicated that participants involved in the dyad training protocols with either observation and/or the inter-trial dialogue developed a motor representation of the movement sequence.