Motor Learning Application

Question 1

Rate of improvement during any part of practice is linearly related (on a logarithmic scale) to the amount left to improve; early in practice of a new task, performance improves rapidly, while after much practice it improves more slowly

Answer 1

power law of practice

- frequency and intensity of practice gives more repetitions

Question 2

all the sensory info that is available as the result of a movement that a person has produced

Answer 2

response-produced feedback

Question 3

what are the two types of response-produced feedback?

Answer 3

1. intrinsic feedback

2. extrinsic feedback

Question 4

feedback that comes to the individual through various sensory systems as a result of the normal production of the movement

Answer 4

intrinsic feedback

- visual, somatosensory

Question 5

feedback that supplements intrinsic feedback

Answer 5

extrinsic feedback

Question 6

what are the two types of extrinsic feedback?

Answer 6

1. concurrent - provided during task

2. terminal- provided at completion of task

Question 7

feedback about the outcome of the movement in terms of the movement’s goal

Answer 7

knowledge of results (KR)

- important to fade this so pt doesn’t become reliant

Question 8

feedback relating to the movement pattern used to achieve a goal

Answer 8

knowledge of performance (KP)

Question 9

When should KR be delivered?

Answer 9

depends on what phase of learning the patient is in and complexity

• more frequency earlier in practice; decreased frequency later in practice
• Simple tasks = KR better after 15 trials
• complex tasks = KR better after 5 trials

Question 10

A session in which the amount of practice time in a trial is greater than the amount of rest between trials

Answer 10

massed practice

Question 11

a session in which the amount of rest between trials is equal to or greater than the amount of time for a trial

Answer 11

distributed practice

Question 12

When should you use massed vs distributed practice?

Answer 12

Massed gets more repetitions in, but leads to fatigue; pts who have increased risk of injury should be on a more distributed schedule for practice session

Question 13

When should you use constant vs variable practice?

Answer 13

• Variable practice increases the ability to adapt and generalize learning; should be used when learning tasks that are likely to be performed in variable conditions
• Tasks that require minimal variation will be performed in constant conditions may best be practiced in constant conditions

Question 14

Factors that make performing a task more difficult initially very often make learning more effective in the long term

Answer 14

contest effects

Question 15

when is it better to use random vs blocked practice?

Answer 15

• random appears to be most effective when used with skills that use different patterns of coordination, and thus different underlying motor programs
• random practice may be inappropriate until learners understand the dynamics of the task being learned

Question 16

the process of identifying the components of a skill or movement and then ordering them into a sequence

Answer 16

task analysis

• use part and whole training
• part to isolate difficult part of task, the whole training to put all movements together

Question 17

What determines how well a task learned in one condition will transfer to another?

Answer 17

• the similarity between the two tasks or the two environments
• the neural processing demands in the two situations should be similar

Question 18

is mental practice effective?

Answer 18

while physical practice is the best type of practice, mental practice is an effective way to enhance learning during times when physical practice is not possible

Question 19

When is it appropriate to use guided vs discovery learning?

Answer 19

• Discovery learning is less effective for acquisition (cognitive phase), but more effective for later retention and transfer (autonomous phase)
• Guidance should be used to acquaint the performer w/the characteristics of the task to be learned

Question 20

reflects factors such as some of the perceptual and motor processing requirements of the task that are constant; invariant and inherent characteristic of the task

Answer 20

nominal difficulty

Question 21

reflects factors that are variable, depending on the skill level of the performer (individual constraint) and the conditions under which the task is being performed (environmental constraint)

Answer 21

functional difficulty

Question 22

the complex activity of the whole organism that is directed at performing a behavioral task

Answer 22

function

Question 23

refers simultaneously to the restitution of damaged structures or functions as a term to describe clinical improvements regardless of how these may have occurred

Answer 23

recovery

Question 24

behavioral substitution; alternative behavioral strategies that are adopted to complete a task

Answer 24

compensation

Question 25

when a function is not lost, despite a brain injury

Answer 25

spared function

Question 26

recovery obtained through specific interventions designed to have an impact on neural mechanisms

Answer 26

forced recovery

Question 27

Does size of a lesion matter in recovery?

Answer 27

yes; pts with a small lesions have a greater chance of recover, as long as ta functional area has not been entirely removed; slowly developing lesions appear to cause less functional loss than lesions that happen quickly