Reliability of on-line visual feedback influences learning of continuous motor task of healthy young adults

A continuous task was used to determine how the reliability of on-line visual feedback during acquisition impacts motor learning. Participants performed a right hand pointing task of a repeated sequence with a visual cursor that was either reliable, moderately unreliable, or largely unreliable. Delayed retention tests were administered 24 h later, as well as intermanual transfer tests (performed with the left hand). A visuospatial transfer test was performed with the same targets' sequence (same visuospatial configuration) while a motor transfer test was performed with the visual mirror of the targets' sequence (same motor patterns). Results showed that pointing was slower and long-term learning disrupted in the largely unreliable visual cursor condition, compared with the reliable and moderately unreliable conditions. Also, analysis of transfers revealed classically better performance on visuospatial transfer than on motor transfer for the reliable condition. However, here we first show that such difference disappears when the cursor was moderately or largely unreliable. Interestingly, these results indicated a difference in the type of sequence coding, depending on the reliability of the on-line visual feedback. This recourse to mixed coding opens up interesting perspectives, as it is known to promote better learning of motor sequences.