The affective response to positive performance feedback is associated with motor learning

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Motor Control
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Motor skill acquisition is influenced by rewards, with extrinsic rewards like money known to improve performance.
• Positive feedback is believed to trigger intrinsic reward, linked to goal achievement and positive affect, potentially enhancing motor learning.
• The precise role of subjective, internal reward processes from feedback in promoting motor learning and performance remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether intrinsic reward, elicited by positive performance feedback, enhances motor learning and performance.
• To determine if the contingency of positive feedback on successful performance is crucial for its beneficial effects.

Main Methods:

• Participants practiced a visuomotor interception task with joystick control, receiving success/failure feedback based on accuracy.
• Feedback frequency was manipulated (50%, 70%, 90%) by adjusting task difficulty.
• Motor learning was assessed by pre- and post-practice accuracy without feedback; task enjoyment was measured to index affective responses.

Main Results:

• Intrinsic reward, indicated by increased enjoyment after positive feedback, positively correlated with motor learning.
• Increasing the overall frequency of positive feedback by reducing task difficulty did not improve performance.
• Motor learning benefits from intrinsic reward only when positive feedback is contingent on accurate performance.

Conclusions:

• Experiencing intrinsic reward through positive feedback significantly enhances motor learning.
• The benefit of intrinsic reward on motor learning is dependent on the contingency of feedback on successful performance.
• Frequent positive feedback alone, without performance contingency, does not improve motor skill acquisition.