Department of Kinesiology

Acquisition of Motor Skill

Brief Course Description: This is a lecture/discussion course that examine the changes in motor performance that accompany the learning, retention and transfer of motor skill and the theories that have been advanced to account for these changes. In addition, students will acquire some laboratory experience to conduct experiments in the areas of motor behavior.

Course Objectives

• 1. To gain an understanding of the basic changes in performance that accompany the learning, retention and transfer of motor skill.
• 2. To gain an understanding of some of the experimental procedures used in the study of motor skill acquisition.
• 3. To encourage students to become familiar with the relevant journals and texts.
• Course Readings There is no set of book for this course. The reading material for the course will be on reserve in the Patty Library.

Course Requirements: There will be a number of course requirements. The final grade in the course will be based on a synthesis of performance in each of the four areas of assessment. The first area is the course discussion which will take place during the lectures each week and focus on the material presented in the previous lecture plus associated readings. The discussion section will be run as a tutorial where students will answer and elaborate upon pre-determined questions or issues arising from the ensuing discussion. The discussion will contribute 10% to the final grade. There will be a mid-term examination that will contribute 30% to the final grade. Another requirement will be that the student lean a new motor skill and write a short report on the experimental experience. The skill selected must be approved by the instructor and the report should take advantage of the material learned from the course. The exact makeup of procedures for this requirement will depend on the number of people taking the course and the availability of equipment for the skill selected. The report of the skill learning activity will constitute 30% of the final grade. The final examination will contribute 30% to the final grade.

• June 26 Introduction to the Course
• June 26 Historical Perspectives to the Field
• July 1 The Nature of Skill and Skills
• July 10 Information and Perspective Theories to Skill Acquisition
• July 15 Retention and Transfer of Skill
• July 19 Bernstein's Perspective - Mastering Redundant Degrees of Freedom
• July 18 Ecological Approach to Motor Skill Acquisition
• August 5 Human Posture as a Fundamental Motor Activity
• August 7 Final Examination

I. Laboratory experience (Total 1 week)

a) Lab tour and instruction on kinematic analysis of movement in normal and abnormal populations

• Peak5 Performance system ( postural analysis and some diving projects demonstration) -2D analysis and requirements;
• 3D analysis and requirements;

b) Lab tour and instruction on kinetic analysis of movements -force platform technology, hardware

• force platform technology and software
• CP data analyze and CM problem;

II. Historical perspectives of Skill :

(Lectures 1 & 3) Main source of information

• Adams, 1987 paper
• Periods of Skill Studies
• Thorndike's Law of Effect, KR
• Theoretical orientation (Reflexes, S-R, Cognitive Psychology, Ecological Psychology)

III. Theories of motor control:

Main source of information - Adams' 1971 paper -Motor program

(Lecture 1) How subjects control their movement???

• Basmajian EMG-feedback experiments
• Leshley' - deafferentation;
• Time reaction for simple and complex responses;
• Lesion studies (Luria, and animal experiments);
• Welford's psychological refractory period; Motor program

(Lecture 2 -Fitts' law (Speed-accuracy)

• What is represented ???
• Anticipatory postural movement and postural responses to perturbation;
• Nashner' strategies toward postural perturbation
• Towards Psychobiology of movement preparation

(Lecture 3 -Cognitive psychophysiology and representation and movement parameters

• Brunia's preparatory stages for movement production;
• H-reflexes and CNV in movement initiation
• Slow wave DC potentials and motor representation; -EEG recording, 10/20 system, localization and averaging techniques
• Experimental results - EEG and movement production

Paper 1; Open-loop control theory

(Lecture) -Limitations of theory

• ballistic "ramp movement", "Fast responses"
• Reed's Action System rather than "reaction"

Midterm Exam: Skill Defined

(Lecture) -Definition (Combination)

• Newell' skill
• Guthrie' skill
• Gential' skill progression
• Sparrow's efficiency concept
• Observational learning

(Lecture) -Absolute and relative motion analysis

• Mental practice, imagery and movement representation
• Range of motion imagery and "key elements" of movement
• Contexual interference

(Lecture) -transfer of skill -task similarity effect

• atractor dynamics and relative motion as a source of type of transfer
• subject characteristics, stage of learning (examples)

Ecological Psychology of Action

(Lecture) -Lee's tau

• Ecological perspectives of postural control
• Vision and posture (Moving room design)
• Effect of vision and base of support on posture
• Effect of vision and other constraints on posture from developmental perspectives
• VTC and posture Bernstein's problem

(Lecture) -Degrees of freedom problem

• Bernstein's legacy
• Movement analysis techniques
• Sources of intermittency

Final Exam