introduction to motor learning and control chapter 1
TRANSCRIPT
How do people acquire motor skills?
Motor learning is the study of the processes people go through as they acquire and refine motor skills. One must also consider the variables that promote or inhibit the acquisition of these skills.
What variables might promote or inhibit acquisition?
Once acquired, what is motor control?
Motor control is the neural, physical, and behavioral aspects of human movement– Does the brain integrate all sensory messages?– Does arousal influence performance?– Why do we sometimes forget how to do something?– Why do we know how to do something even when
we haven’t done it in a long time?
How do people move?
Movement is the function of the interaction of three elements:– The learner– The task– The environment
Foundational knowledge
Learner– Do they possess underlying abilities to perform?– Is the task developmentally appropriate?– Were there previous similar experiences?– Are they motivated?– Might individual differences influence acquisition of
this task?
Foundational Knowledge
Task– Is there a high perceptual component to the task?– Is object manipulation required?– What body movements are required?– Must the task be performed under a variety of
conditions or under the same condition each time?
Foundational Knowledge
Environment– In what context will the task be performed?– Is that context predictable or unpredictable?– Is there a time limitation?
When assessing performance and making instructional decisions, you must remember that none of these elements exists in isolation
What is learning?
Learning is a relatively permanent change in a person’s ability to execute a motor skill as a result of practice or experience doing the skill– We can’t see learning because the internal
processes can’t be directly observed– So how does a facilitator of learning know if the
client/athlete/student learned?
Role of performance in learning
While we can’t see learning, we can see performance– Performance is the execution of a skill
Through repeated observations of a person’s performance, we infer whether a person has learned a skill– Inferences must be based on changes that occur
over time
Inferences must be accurate
If a person is anxious, tired, experiencing equipment problems, does impaired performance mean a loss of capability to do the skill?
Could a person be ‘ON’ one day during practice, and then revert back to previous levels of ability the next time out?
Practical Application
Nondominant hand juggling Two tennis balls in nondominant hand Toss upward and when reaches peak, toss
second tennis ball; catch first, then toss, catch second then toss
Continue this pattern for 10 minutes Record the highest number of successful
catches you make
Questions
Can you conclude that you learned how to juggle two tennis balls with your non-dominant hand? Why?/ Why not?
If up until the 9 minute mark you only caught the ball twice, then you suddenly caught 6, does that mean you learned how to juggle? Why? / Why not?
What is learning? What learner, task and environmental factors affected
your performance and learning?– Answers to these questions due on Friday
Motor Skill
Goal-oriented
Body and limb movements required to accomplish goal
Voluntary
Must be learned or re-learned
Which are motor skills?
Grasping a bottled water Keyboarding Drawing back after touching a hot iron Sewing a button Playing the drums The startle reflex
Ways to classify motor skills
Identify skill characteristics that are similar Divide into two categories, which represent
extreme ends of a continuum One dimensional systems
– Size of primary musculature required; precision of movement
– Nature of movement organization; Specificity of where actions begin or end
– Predictability/ Stability of the environment
Precision of Movement
Fine motor skill
– Involving very precise movements normally accomplished using smaller musculature
Gross motor skill
– Places less emphasis on precision and is typically the result of multi-limb movements
Nature of Movement Organization
Discrete
– Beginning and end points are clearly defined
Serial
– Composed of a number of discrete skills whose integrated performance is crucial for goal achievement
Continuous
– Beginning and ending points are arbitrary
Open/closed classification system
Closed skill– Environmental context is stable & predictable
(does not change from trial to trial)– Consistency is the objective– Technique refinement is emphasized
Open skill– Performer must adapt performance to the ever
changing environment– Practice should emphasize responding to the
changing demands
Classify the following motor skills
Walking a tightrope Mowing the lawn Downhill skiing Swimming in a pool Playing a video game Typing Crossing the street
CLOSED………………….TO……………….OPENPredictable Semi-Predictable Unpredictable
Gentile’s Multidimensional Classification System
Environmental demands – Regulatory conditions
Environmental factors that specify the movement characteristics necessary to successfully perform a skill
1. Is the environmental context stable or in motion?
1. Swimming in an empty pool lane vs. playing water polo
2. From trial to trial, do the regulatory conditions remain fixed or do they change?
1. Does a pitched ball come in high and inside, then low and away? Or down the middle with a pitching machine?
Gentile’s Multidimensional Classification System
Action requirements
1. Is the performer required to change locations or maintain body position when performing the skill?
2. Does the task require the performer to manipulate an object or opponent or not?
Task Examples for Gentile’s Multidimensional System
ACTION REQUIREMENTS ?
Neither body transport nor object manipulation
Object manipulation only
Body transport only
Both body transport and object manipulation
Stationary and fixed
Doing a sit up
Moving a chess piece
Climbing a ladder
Shot put
Stationary and variable
Writing ABC’s with foot for ankle rehabilitation
“Round the clock” in darts
Following a dance pattern that has been placed on the floor
With a partner, following a dance pattern that has been placed on the floor
Moving and fixed
Floating on a river in an inner tube
Yo-yo
Running down a hill
Walking on crutches in a clear hallway
??? REGULATORY CONDITIONS
Moving and variabl e
Riding in a tube pulled by a speedboat
Playing Fooze Ball
Skating on a crowded ice rink
Skiing a downhill slalom course
How to apply this classification system
When you know the level of complexity of a skill, you can design learning experiences that build from simple to more complex
Ultimately, you lead to practice conditions that simulate the conditions under which the skill will be performed
Practical Application
Determine a progression of learning experiences from simple to more complex within your area of study.
Individual Differences
Individual differences are relatively stable and enduring characteristics that make each of us unique
Examples:– Body configuration– Physiological make-up – Learning styles– Type and amount of previous movement experience– Developmental level– Cultural background– Psychological make-up
Abilities
Genetic traits that are prerequisite to the development of skill proficiency
Existence of a single, general motor ability?
– Can a person be born an ‘all around athlete’?
Specificity hypothesis?
– Do we develop specific abilities rather than all around abilities? Research does not support a single, general motor ability
Fleishman’s Taxonomy
Groups motor abilities into two categories of fundamental abilities:
1. Perceptual motor abilities
2. Physical proficiency abilities
• These abilities are stable and genetically determined
Perceptual Motor Abilities
Control precision
Multi-limb coordination
Response orientation
Reaction time
Speed of limb movement
Rate control
Manual dexterity
Finger dexterity
Arm-hand steadiness
Wrist finger speed
Aiming
Physical Proficiency Abilities
Static strength
Dynamic strength
Explosive strength
Trunk strength
Extent flexibility
Dynamic flexibility
Gross body coordination
Gross body equilibrium
Stamina
Thinking about your abilities
List three movement activities for which you feel particularly skilled.
What abilities do you think you possess that allow you to perform these skills so well?
Are any of these abilities important to the performance of more than one of the tasks listed?– See abilities on pp. 13 & 14
Motor Abilities
People tend to perform motor tasks well according to their motor abilities– Abilities limit the ultimate level of performance
proficiency of an individualFor example, body type will influence the ability to become
an elite sprinter or a sprinter ‘wanna be’However, avoid making final judgement on a person in
early stages of practice. As experience and practice increase, performers may become more successful at using their underlying abilities to become more skilled
What should practitioners remember about abilities?
We should expect to see differences in patterns of abilities
We should identify patterns before providing instructional assistance– One tennis player may demonstrate more consistent
contact with ball while another player may cover the court betterAbilities of player one? Abilities of player two?
What should practitioners remember about abilities?
Create practice opportunities that challenge the person to work on those aspects of performance for which their abilities are not well suited– The challenge will come when the performer must
work on their weakness, when they would rather work on things they do well
What should practitioners remember about abilities?
Abilities are not the only contributing factor– Previous experiences– Body configuration– Personal characteristics
Performance success will most likely result from a combination of factors: abilities, age, experience, practice, motivation, mood
A way to use abilities in motor performance
Task analysis approach to determine which movement components to emphasize during instruction
Task Analysis
The breaking down of a skill into its component parts and corresponding underlying abilities
Through task analysis, we can understand skill requirements better
– Then we can identify a learner’s strengths and weaknesses and modify instruction to help them acquire the skill
Practical Application
For a skill of your choice, perform a task analysis to determine the critical elements of the task and the underlying abilities required for proficient performance– How would you use this information to design
learning experiences?
Summary on abilities
People differ in their abilities Research supports fundamental abilities
– There exists a number of independent fundamental abilities
– Different combinations of these abilities underly motor performance
– Some abilities play dominant roles in task performance while others are secondary
– Some abilities may be important for a number of different tasks
Putting it all together
Practitioners can:– Perform a task analysis to determine the
requirements of a taskThen identify the important abilities necessary to meet the
requirements
– Design learning experiences to capitalize on strengths and practice activities to work on their weaknessesLook at progression of skills according to the skill
classification systems for appropriate difficulty
Practical Application
A frequent challenge is finding ways to assist people who must compensate for deficiencies in their abilities when they are learning or relearning a skill. What factors might be considered to assist each of the following?
– A 10 year old who consistently misses a pitched ball– A 60 year old with paralysis of the preferred hand caused by
stroke who is trying to relearn the task of opening a bottle of wine
– A 30 year old with a loss of vision in one eye who is trying to learn how to play a musical keyboard