Win-Shift, Lose-Stay: Contingent Switching and Contextual Interference in Motor Learning

2008 ◽  
Vol 107 (2) ◽  
pp. 407-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominic A. Simon ◽  
Timothy D. Lee ◽  
John D. Cullen
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Retention Test ◽  
Contextual Interference ◽  
Target Movement ◽  
Random Group ◽  
Target Time ◽  
Practice Schedules ◽  
Random Groups ◽  
Better Than

Learners ( n = 48) practiced three multisegment movements with distinct target movement times. Four practice groups were compared: blocked, random, and two groups who had a win-shift/lose-stay schedule (WSLS1 and WSLS2). For these latter groups switching between practice tasks was performance-contingent: within 5% of target time for 1 or 2 consecutive trials, respectively. During acquisition, blocked performance was more accurate than for both random and WSLS2 groups. The WSLS1 group performed between blocked and random groups, but did not differ from either. In a next-day retention test, the random group scored better than the blocked group. The WSLS1 group performed similarly to the random practice while the WSLS2 group's scores were similar to those of the blocked group. Results encourage further study of similar practice schedules.

When Repetition Isn’t the Best Practice Strategy: Effects of Blocked and Random Practice Schedules

2010 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 368-383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura A. Stambaugh
Keyword(s):  
Best Practice ◽  
Contextual Interference ◽  
Superior Performance ◽  
Beginning Band ◽  
Random Group ◽  
Practice Schedules ◽  
Band Students ◽  
Retention Testing ◽  
Research Assumptions ◽  
Accuracy Speed

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of blocked and random practice schedules on the performance accuracy, speed, temporal evenness, and attitude of beginning band students in a group instructional setting. The research assumptions were based on the contextual interference hypothesis, which predicts that a blocked practice order (low contextual interference) leads to superior performance immediately following practice but that a random practice order (high contextual interference) supports superior performance at delayed retention testing. Beginning clarinet students ( N = 41) completed three practice sessions and one retention testing session, performing three seven-pitch exercises. At the end of practice, no significant differences were found between blocked and random practice groups for accuracy, speed, or temporal evenness. At retention, the random group performed significantly faster than the blocked group, F(1, 38) = 24.953, p < .001, η2 = .92, and the blocked group performed significantly slower than it did at the end of practice ( p < .001). No significant differences were found between groups for transfer tasks or for attitude toward practice.

scholarly journals The Contextual Interference Effect on Sport-Specific Motor Learning in Older Adults

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina G.T.X. de Souza ◽  
Marcelo E.S. Nunes ◽  
Umberto C. Corrêa ◽  
Suely dos Santos
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Motor Learning ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Interference Effect ◽  
Contextual Interference ◽  
Random Group ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Similar Performance ◽  
Improved Performance ◽  
Practice Time

AbstractPurpose. The aim of this study was to investigate the contextual interference effect on learning a sport-related task in older adults. Methods. We selected 40 physically active individuals aged 65-80 years that were randomly divided into random and blocked practice groups. The task comprised throwing a bocce ball to three targets at distances of 2, 4 and 6 m. Practice consisted of 120 trials divided into two sessions. Two retention tests at a distance of 4 m were conducted (post-10 min and 24 h) and then two transfer tests with a target at 5 m (post-24 h) were performed with the preferred and non-preferred hand. Task performance and movement patterns were measured. Results. Comparisons between the practice groups revealed no contextual interference effect (p > 0.05); the random group showed improved performance during practice (p < 0.05) but the blocked group did not. Overall, the results showed similar performance between the groups in the retention and transfer tests, although it was inferred that the blocked group made insufficient corrective adjustments. Conclusions. It was concluded that contextual interference did not affect the learning of a sport-based skill in older adults. Nonetheless, it can be argued that the parameter modifications may have negatively influenced learning this task by the practice groups and/or they may have required more practice time.

Dissociated Contextual Interference Effects in Children and Adults

1997 ◽  
Vol 84 (3) ◽  
pp. 851-858 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara J. Pollock ◽  
Timothy D. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Contextual Interference ◽  
Interference Effects ◽  
Random Group ◽  
Theoretical Issues ◽  
Better Than

24 7-yr.-old children and 24 university-age adults practiced a ballistic aiming task under either low contextual interference (blocked practice) or high contextual interference (random practice). All subjects performed 90 acquisition trials, followed by 20 transfer trials and 15 retention trials. Similar to previous findings, the adults performed the acquisition trials better under blocked than under random conditions, yet performed the retention and transfer tests better after random than blocked practice. No differences in acquisition were found between blocked and random practice conditions for the children; nevertheless, the random group performed the retention and transfer tests better than the blocked group. The results are discussed in relation to applied and theoretical issues of contextual interference.

Contextual Interference in Motor Learning: Dissociated Effects Due to the Nature of Task Variations

1992 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 627-644 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy D. Lee ◽  
Gabriele Wulf ◽  
Richard A. Schmidt
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Contextual Interference ◽  
Relative Timing ◽  
Practice Session ◽  
Random Group ◽  
Practice Schedule ◽  
Effective Learning ◽  
Practice Condition ◽  
Enhanced Learning ◽  
Timing Structure

The contextual interference effect in motor learning refers to the interference that results from practising a task within the concept of other tasks in a practice session. Several studies have shown that practice under conditions of high contextual interference (i.e. with a random practice order) degrades performance during acquisition trials, compared to low contextual interference conditions (i.e. with a blocked order, where practice is completed on one task before practice on another task is undertaken). In contrast to acquisition performance, random practice usually leads to more effective learning than blocked practice, as measured by retention and transfer tests. One of the hypotheses regarding the effect suggests that a random practice schedule induces more extensive planning operations during practice than a blocked practice condition. If so, then differences between these two conditions should emerge to the degree that the set of tasks requires complete reconstruction of these planning operations on each trial. To address this issue, we compared four groups of subjects: a blocked and random group that practised three timing tasks that shared a common characteristic (same relative timing), and a blocked and random group that practised three tasks that each had different relative timing structures. Subjects practised these tasks on each of two days, with a retention test and two transfer tests that required either a relative timing structure that had been practised previously or had not previously been practised. No random/ blocked differences occurred regardless of the relative timing of the patterns during acquisition or retention. However, for both transfer tests, random practice enhanced learning only for the group that had practised with tasks that each had different relative timing during acquisition. Implications of these results for an explanation of contextual interference are discussed.

Contextual Interference Effects in Learning Volleyball Skills

2007 ◽  
Vol 104 (3) ◽  
pp. 995-1004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleni Zetou ◽  
Maria Michalopoulou ◽  
Katerina Giazitzi ◽  
Efthimis Kioumourtzoglou
Keyword(s):  
Interaction Effect ◽  
Interference Effect ◽  
Retention Test ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Training Session ◽  
Contextual Interference ◽  
Training Period ◽  
Interference Effects ◽  
Practice Schedules ◽  
Main Effect

The aim of this study was to examine the contextual interference effect on learning three volleyball skills. Participants were 26 novice female volleyball players ( M age = 12.4 yr., SD = 1.2). They were assigned into two groups, Low Interference ( n = 13) and High Interference ( n = 13). Two practice schedules were used: blocked (Low Interference) and random (High Interference). The training period lasted for 10 weeks and included 2 training sessions of 75 min. each per week. The pretest was performed before the first training session, the posttest was performed after the completion of the last training period, and the retention test was performed two weeks after the posttest. A 2 (Groups) × 3 (Measurement Periods) analysis of variance with repeated measures indicated significant improvement in performance between pre- and posttests for both High Interference and Low Interference groups for the three skills included in this study. There was no significant main effect of group or interaction effect of group and measure. These findings suggest that either blocked or random practice could be effectively used in learning of volleyball skills by unskilled children.

scholarly journals Practicing with gradual increases in contextual interference enhances visuomotor learning

Kinesiology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 244-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jared M. Porter ◽  
Trey Beckerman
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Motor Skill ◽  
Transfer Test ◽  
Contextual Interference ◽  
Acquisition Phase ◽  
Visuomotor Learning ◽  
Rotary Pursuit ◽  
Visuomotor Tracking ◽  
Random Groups ◽  
Better Than

The purpose of this study was to determine if practicing with gradual increases in contextual interference (CI) facilitated the learning of a continuous motor skill that required visuomotor tracking. We hypothesized the group that practiced with increasing amounts of CI would perform significantly better on a retention and transfer test compared to participants that practiced with blocked and random scheduling. A total of 78 participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups (i.e. Blocked, Increasing, Random). The level of CI was modified by varying the number of revolutions per minute (RPM) on a rotary pursuit tracker. Following the acquisition phase, participants returned after a 24-hour period and completed the 12-trial retention and transfer test. The results of statistical analysis indicated that all three groups improved their performance during practice. The posttest analysis indicated the Increasing group was better than the Blocked and Random groups on the retention and transfer test.

Contextual Interference Effects with Skilled Baseball Players

1994 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 835-841 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kellie Green Hall ◽  
Derek A. Domingues ◽  
Richard Cavazos
Keyword(s):  
Random Order ◽  
Contextual Interference ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Interference Effects ◽  
Random Group ◽  
Baseball Players ◽  
Novice Learners ◽  
Collegiate Baseball ◽  
Baseball Team ◽  
Better Than

The learning benefits of contextual interference have been frequently demonstrated in different settings using novice learners. The purpose of the present study was to test such effects with skilled athletic performers. Scheduling differences for biweekly additional (“extra”) batting-practice sessions of a collegiate baseball team were examined. 30 players (ns = 10) were blocked on skill and then randomly assigned to one of three groups. The random and blocked groups received 2 additional batting-practice sessions each week for 6 wk. (12 sessions), while the control group received no additional practice. The extra sessions consisted of 45 pitches, 15 fastballs, 15 curve-balls, and 15 change-up pitches. The random group received these pitches in a random order, while the blocked group received all 15 of one type, then 15 of the next type, and finally 15 of the last type of pitch in a blocked fashion. All subjects received a pretest of 45 randomly presented pitches of the three varieties. After 6 wk. of extra batting practice, all subjects received two transfer tests, each of 45 trials; one was presented randomly and one blocked. The transfer tests were counterbalanced across subjects. Pretest analysis showed no significant differences among groups. On both the random and blocked transfer tests, however, the random group performed with reliably higher scores than the blocked group, who performed better than the control group. When comparing the pretest to the random transfer test, the random group improved 56.7%, the blocked group 24.8%, and the control group only 6.2%. These findings demonstrate the contextual interference effect to be robust and beneficial even to skilled learners in a complex sport setting.

scholarly journals The free group on n generators modulo n + u random relations as n goes to infinity

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (762) ◽  
pp. 123-166
Author(s):  
Yuan Liu ◽  
Melanie Matchett Wood
Keyword(s):  
Free Group ◽  
Abelian Groups ◽  
Random Group ◽  
Random Groups

AbstractWe show that, as n goes to infinity, the free group on n generators, modulo {n+u} random relations, converges to a random group that we give explicitly. This random group is a non-abelian version of the random abelian groups that feature in the Cohen–Lenstra heuristics. For each n, these random groups belong to the few relator model in the Gromov model of random groups.

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