Week 3 Motor Learning

Question 1

Define motor control and its relevance in physical therapy practice.

Answer 1

Motor control is the ability to regulate and coordinate movement through interaction of the individual, task, and environment. In PT, it’s essential for assessing, retraining, and restoring functional movement after injury or disease.

Question 2

Describe how factors related to the individual, task, and environment affect movement.

Answer 2

Individual: cognition, perception, action (e.g., strength, sensation, motivation). Task: stability vs mobility, open vs closed, manipulation requirements. Environment: regulatory features (directly shape movement, e.g., surface), and non-regulatory features (background noise, distractions).

Question 3

Describe classifications for types of movement tasks.

Answer 3

Stability vs mobility tasks; manipulation vs non-manipulation tasks; closed vs open tasks. Discrete and continuous

Question 4

Discuss the principles and foundations of motor control theories.

Answer 4

Reflex theory: movement controlled by reflexes (limited in explaining voluntary/novel actions). Hierarchical theory: higher centers inhibit lower reflexes (criticized for ignoring flexibility). Motor Program Theory: movements are driven by stored programs. Systems theory: body = mechanical system with degrees of freedom. Ecological theory: learning movement by perceiving and acting in context. Clinical use: informs assessment and interventions; Limitations: no single theory explains all movement.

Question 5

Compare and contrast theories of motor control.

Answer 5

Reflex: movement from stimulus-response. Hierarchical: top-down CNS control. Systems: body/joint mechanics + environment shape movement. Ecological: perception–action coupling in tasks/environments.

Question 6

Describe the role of variability in movement.

Answer 6

Variability allows flexible, adaptable movement strategies. It strengthens schemas (rules for movement) and supports generalization across conditions. In PT, variability in practice improves retention and transfer.

Question 7

Describe motor learning and contributions to motor learning.

Answer 7

Motor learning = process of acquiring/re-acquiring skills through practice, leading to relatively permanent changes. Contributes by integrating perception, cognition, and action, influenced by feedback, practice structure, and neuroplasticity.

Question 8

Explain and provide examples of nondeclarative and declarative learning.

Answer 8

Nondeclarative (implicit): reflexive, habitual, no awareness (e.g., riding a bike, procedural learning, conditioning). Declarative (explicit): requires awareness, attention, conscious recall of facts/events (e.g., remembering instructions, recalling an address).

Question 9

Discuss the basic concepts and clinical implications of motor learning theories.

Answer 9

Schema theory: learning builds rules for movements; variability strengthens rules. Ecological theory: focus on perception–action matching. Fitts & Posner: cognitive → associative → autonomous stages. Bernstein: freeze → release degrees of freedom. Each informs practice structure, but all have limitations.

Question 10

Compare and contrast theories related to stages of motor learning.

Answer 10

Fitts & Posner: cognitive, associative, autonomous stages. Bernstein: novice, advanced, expert. F&P emphasize attention/learning; Bernstein emphasizes control of degrees of freedom.

Question 11

Apply different types of feedback based on its impact on performance and retention of motor learning.

Answer 11

Intrinsic feedback: sensory info from movement. Extrinsic feedback: from therapist/device. Concurrent: during task. Terminal: after task (knowledge of results vs knowledge of performance). Extrinsic enhances early performance; intrinsic fosters independence and long-term retention.

Question 12

Explain impact of feedback frequency on results.

Answer 12

High-frequency feedback improves practice performance but harms retention (dependency). Reduced or faded feedback encourages error detection and improves long-term learning.

Question 13

Discuss factors that impact practice structure and their effects.

Answer 13

Massed vs distributed: distributed better for continuous tasks. Blocked vs random: blocked improves performance, random improves learning/retention. Constant vs variable: constant helps fixed tasks, variable aids transfer. Whole vs part practice: both useful, but functional whole-task practice is critical. Mental practice: enhances learning when combined with physical practice.

Question 14

Describe recovery of function and compensation.

Answer 14

Recovery: reacquiring lost skills (restoration or adaptation). Compensation: alternative strategies to complete tasks (e.g., using the non-dominant hand after stroke). Both are part of rehab.

Question 15

Describe factors that impact the recovery of function.

Answer 15

Age, lesion size/severity, timing of rehab, pre-injury health, environment, medications, training intensity, neurotrophic factors. Slow vs rapid injury onset also influences recovery.

Question 16

Describe neural plasticity and cortical mapping and how it relates to learning.

Answer 16

Neural plasticity = brain’s ability to change (short-term synaptic efficiency → long-term rewiring). Cortical mapping = reorganization of brain areas after injury or practice. Both underlie learning and recovery.

Question 17

Explain principles of experience-dependent plasticity.

Answer 17

Ten principles: Use it or lose it. Use it and improve it. Specificity. Repetition matters. Intensity matters. Time matters. Salience matters. Age matters. Transference. Interference.