Effects of Extended Practice and Movement Time on Motor Control of a Coincident Timing Task

Abstract

The present study investigated the extent to which movement time (MT) and practice influenced subjects' use of feedback to make corrections in the spatial-temporal movement pattern of coincident timing responses. Subjects performed 400 coincident timing responses of either 250,500, or 1,000 milliseconds. Schmidt's (1972) index of preprograming (IP) was used to estimate the level of feedback involvement in controlling the movement while the spatial-temporal pattern of the response was characterized by fluctuations in the speed of the movement to the barrier. The analysis of the IP and the spatial-temporal pattern of the responses suggest that MT and not practice limits the extent to which a response is preprogramed, with rapid performance more likely to be preprogramed than slower performance. Indeed, in the 1,000-millisecond response, the movement pattern appeared to be adjusted in the terminal phase (i.e., near the barrier) by accelerating or decelerating the rate of movement.     

The Effects of a Single Reminder Trial on Retention of a Motor Skill

Two experiments investigated the effects of a single reminder trial on immediate and delayed retention. Experiment 1 determined if beneficial effects of a reminder trial were a function of task order. Immediate retention performance benefited only when the reminder trial was practiced in the first block of trials. Experiment 2 added a 24-hr delayed retention test to examine the long-term benefits of a reminder trial. Retention performance was enhanced over both delay intervals. The long-term effect extended previous research (Shea & Titzer, 1993) that documented effects after 10 min. The use of a single reminder trial established that intertask comparisons between multiple reminder trials were not a precondition for the reminder trial effect as postulated by Shea and Titzer.     

Memory Characteristics Of Two Dimensional Movement Information

Abstract

Two experiments examined the reproduction accuracy and retention characteristics of two-dimensional movement information. Distance, location, and combined location plus distance groups were examined under three retention intervals. The results of both experiments generally revealed that distance cues were maintained over a 15-second rest interval and subject to decay when interpolated activity was introduced. In contrast, recall accuracy for both the location group and the location plus distance group decayed during the rest interval. Following the presentation of interpolated activity, the location group exhibited no further decrement while the location plus distance group continued to demonstrate a decay in accuracy. These results imply a differential access to central processing for the two sources of movement information. That is, contrary to the results of previous studies utilizing one-dimensional tasks, two-dimensional distance cues appear to be centrally processed while location cues are not. Thus, when distance and location information is available, only the distance information appears to have access to central processing. Apparently, distance cues are more readily rehearsable in a two-dimensional task. It might be argued that distance information, with such additional cues as movement rate, timing, etc., is more appropriate for two-dimensional tasks while location information is relied on in one-dimensional tasks.     

From F = ma to Flying Squirrels: Curricular Change in an Introductory Physics Course

We present outcomes from curricular changes made to an introductory calculus-based physics course whose audience is primarily life sciences majors, the majority of whom plan to pursue postbaccalaureate studies in medical and scientific fields. During the 2011–2012 academic year, we implemented a Physics of the Life Sciences curriculum centered on a draft textbook that takes a novel approach to teaching physics to life sciences majors. In addition, substantial revisions were made to the homework and hands-on components of the course to emphasize the relationship between physics and the life sciences and to help the students learn to apply physical intuition to life sciences–oriented problems. Student learning and attitudinal outcomes were assessed both quantitatively, using standard physics education research instruments, and qualitatively, using student surveys and a series of postsemester interviews. Students experienced high conceptual learning gains, comparable to other active learning–based physics courses. Qualitatively, a substantial fraction of interviewed students reported an increased interest in physics relative to the beginning of the semester. Furthermore, more than half of students self-reported that they could now relate physics topics to their majors and future careers, with interviewed subjects demonstrating a high level of ability to come up with examples of how physics affects living organisms and how it helped them to better understand content presented in courses in their major.     

School ethos and personal,social, health education

This paper will discuss research undertaken within a London borough in 2009 that aimed to examine how Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE) was perceived and delivered. The ethos of schools was incorporated into the enquiry as a key determinate of both perception and delivery of PSHE. The findings are presented with particular reference to three areas: school ethos, participation and evaluation. The overall conclusion of the study is that staff value PSHE, but with some reservations. Staff believe that PSHE has a positive impact on pupil behaviour. The value placed by schools on PSHE, and how it interrelates with the existing ethos of schools, remains a crucial factor in its provision.     

Understanding distinctions in learning in hybrid,and online environments: an empirical investigation of the community of inquiry framework

This study of 723 college students seeks to assess the adequacy of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework for describing and explaining differences in learning outcomes in hybrid and fully online learning environments. Hypothesizing that the CoI model's theoretical constructs of presence reflect educational effectiveness in a variety of environments, this article seeks evidence of whether students in varying learning environments are likely to rank them differently with regard to teaching, social, and cognitive presence. The study utilizes factor-, hierarchical-regression-, and path analyses to determine the validity of the CoI constructs as well as to characterize the nature of relationships between them. Results suggest that the model is coherent and accounts for the small but significant differences recently reported in the literature regarding the superiority of hybrid environments relative to fully online environments (Means, B., Toyama, Y., Murphy, R., Bakia, M., & Jones, K. (2009). Evaluation of evidence-based practices in online learning: A meta-analysis and review of online learning studies. Washington, DC: US Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development). Recommendations for future research and practice are included.     

蚊子克星

当你给亚利桑那州马里科帕县的病媒管制中心拨打电话,人工智能电话系统将给你列出几个奇怪的选择。例如,你可以上报“绿色池塘”或是申请一袋鱼。     

The role of parameter variability on retention, parameter transfer, and effector transfer

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of parameter variability on the learning of generalized motor programs (GMP) and movement parameterization. Participants attempted to exert a force pattern that resembled in force and time a waveform displayed on a computer monitor.The analysis suggested that relative timing (a measure of the GMP) performance remained remarkably stable across retention and transfer tests, whereby the structure of the movement remained intact, although the parameter or muscle group (effector) changed during transfer The results also indicated that variable parameter (time) practice did not enhance GMP learning but did degrade the learning parameter that was not varied (force). In addition, parameter specification was substantially less stable than the GMP, with time and force parameter performance deteriorating from the retention to transfer tests. These findings suggest that parameter specification, and not the GMP, is the primary cause of poorer performance in parameter and effector transfer.     

Effects of modeled auditory information on a sequential timing task

The purposes of the present experiment were to determine (a) whether an auditory model enhanced relative or absolute timing, (b) the extent to which the reduced frequency presentation of the auditory model resulted in enhanced retention, and (c) the degree to which executing the timing sequence was independent of the role of the effectors in carrying out the movement sequence. Participants (N = 45) were asked to alternately press two keys on a computer keyboard in an attempt to match the goal intervals presented on the computer monitor. Groups differed in terms of the frequency with which an auditory model (100, 50, or 0%) was presented. The results indicated that the auditory model (100% or 50% groups) enhanced relative timing performance and learning but not the learning of absolute timing. In addition, the 50% group did not appear to become dependent on the auditory model. However, significant decrements in performance were seen for the 100% group when the model was withdrawn. Last, participants were able to execute the timing sequences equally well when they reversed the hand used to execute the timing sequence. This was interpreted as strong evidence for the effector independence (Schmidt, 1975, 1988) and modularity of the timing sequence (Keele, Davidson, & Hayes, 1998).