Applying aspects of deliberate practice to help low performers improve manual control in a complex task

Investigations of expert performers across many domains have suggested the accumulation of deliberate practice over many years is a key component of developing expertise. Researchers propose deliberate practice is effective for improving performance in the long term because it includes several structured elements that facilitate learning. However, the effects of such structured practice across shorter training periods are less understood. The current study examined the acquisition of manual control skill in the experimental video game Space Fortress. Video demonstrations and continuous auditory feedback were combined in a 90-min intervention session designed to discourage behaviors correlated with low performance and encourage behaviors associated with high levels of skill. After 4 h of gameplay, the initially lower-performing participants who received the intervention displayed significantly greater manual control performance than the initially lower-performing participants who received undirected training. This performance difference corresponded with durable improvements in behaviors targeted by the intervention once feedback was removed. These findings suggest training that incorporates elements of deliberate practice can be successfully applied in short-term skill acquisition settings.