scholarly journals Cognitive and Motor Learning in Internally-Guided Motor Skills

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krishn Bera ◽  
Anuj Shukla ◽  
Raju S. Bapi
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Internal Model ◽  
Cognitive Learning ◽  
Reaction Time Task ◽  
Skill Learning ◽  
Motor Tasks ◽  
Behavioral Experiments ◽  
Performance Improvements ◽  
Sequence Production ◽  
Motor Actions

Several canonical experimental paradigms (e.g., serial reaction time task, discrete sequence production task, m × n task) have been proposed to study the typical behavioral phenomenon and the nature of learning in sequential keypress tasks. A characteristic feature of most paradigms is that they are representative of externally-specified sequencing—motor tasks where the environment or task paradigm extrinsically provides the sequence of stimuli, i.e., the responses are stimulus-driven. Previous studies utilizing such canonical paradigms have largely overlooked the learning behaviors in a more realistic class of motor tasks that involve internally-guided sequencing—where the sequence of motor actions is self-generated or internally-specified. In this work, we use the grid-navigation task as an instance of internally-guided sequencing to investigate the nature of learning in such paradigms. The participants performed Grid-Sailing Task (GST), which required navigating (by executing sequential keypresses) a 5 × 5 grid from start to goal (SG) position while using a particular key-mapping (KM) among the three cursor-movement directions and the three keyboard buttons. The participants performed two behavioral experiments—Single-SG and Mixed-SG condition. The Single-SG condition required performing GST on a single SG position repeatedly, whereas the Mixed-SG condition involved performing GST using the same KM on two novel SG positions presented in a random, inter-mixed manner. In the Single-SG condition, we show that motor learning contributes to the sequence-specific learning in GST with the repeated execution of the same trajectories. In the Mixed-SG condition, since the participants utilize the previously learned KM, we anticipate a transfer of learning from the Single-SG condition. The acquisition and transfer of a KM-specific internal model facilitates efficient trajectory planning on novel SG conditions. The acquisition of such a KM-specific internal model amounts to trajectory-independent cognitive learning in GST. We show that cognitive learning contributes to the learning in GST by showing transfer-related performance improvements in the Mixed-SG condition. In sum, we show the role of cognitive and motor learning processes in internally-guided sequencing and further make a case for using GST-like grid-navigation paradigms in investigating internally guided skill learning.

scholarly journals Motor Chunking in Internally Guided Sequencing

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krishn Bera ◽  
Anuj Shukla ◽  
Raju S. Bapi
Keyword(s):  
Response Times ◽  
Skill Learning ◽  
Motor Tasks ◽  
Performance Improvements ◽  
Sequence Production ◽  
Serial Reaction ◽  
Motor Movements ◽  
Motor Actions ◽  
Reaction Task ◽  
Or Task

Motor skill learning involves the acquisition of sequential motor movements with practice. Studies have shown that we learn to execute these sequences efficiently by chaining several elementary actions in sub-sequences called motor chunks. Several experimental paradigms, such as serial reaction task, discrete sequence production, and m × n task, have investigated motor chunking in externally specified sequencing where the environment or task paradigm provides the sequence of stimuli, i.e., the responses are stimulus driven. In this study, we examine motor chunking in a class of more realistic motor tasks that involve internally guided sequencing where the sequence of motor actions is self-generated or internally specified. We employ a grid-navigation task as an exemplar of internally guided sequencing to investigate practice-driven performance improvements due to motor chunking. The participants performed the grid-sailing task (GST) (Fermin et al., 2010), which required navigating (by executing sequential keypresses) a 10 × 10 grid from start to goal position while using a particular type of key mapping between the three cursor movement directions and the three keyboard buttons. We provide empirical evidence for motor chunking in grid-navigation tasks by showing the emergence of subject-specific, unique temporal patterns in response times. Our findings show spontaneous chunking without pre-specified or externally guided structures while replicating the earlier results with a less constrained, internally guided sequencing paradigm.

Applying Serious Games to Motor Learning in Sport

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 61-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josef Wiemeyer ◽  
Philipp Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Serious Games ◽  
Cognitive Learning ◽  
Skill Learning ◽  
Basketball Players ◽  
Nintendo Wii ◽  
Virtual Training ◽  
Real Performance ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Application Fields

Considering the wide use of Serious Games in application fields like cognitive learning, health education and rehabilitation and the recent developments of sensor and interface technology it is surprising that applications to motor learning in sport are rare. The aim of this study is to examine whether a specific learning effect can be elicited by training with a commercial exergame (Nintendo Wii Sports Resort). A sample of 23 young club basketball players attended either a virtual training (VT) or a real training (RT) of basketball throws. Training consisted of 750 throws distributed to 10 training units. As a result, VT and RT groups improved in virtual and real performance, but only the RT group transferred training to the virtual condition. Furthermore, the RT group enjoyed training more than the VT group. As a conclusion, added values of Serious Games in sport skill learning may take effect only under certain conditions.

scholarly journals Neurotransmitters, Cell Types, and Circuit Mechanisms of Motor Skill Learning and Clinical Applications

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wotu Tian ◽  
Shengdi Chen
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Neural Mechanism ◽  
Experimental Tests ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Skill Learning ◽  
Motor Memory ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Motor Actions ◽  
The Brain

Animals acquire motor skills to better survive and adapt to a changing environment. The ability to learn novel motor actions without disturbing learned ones is essential to maintaining a broad motor repertoire. During motor learning, the brain makes a series of adjustments to build novel sensory–motor relationships that are stored within specific circuits for long-term retention. The neural mechanism of learning novel motor actions and transforming them into long-term memory still remains unclear. Here we review the latest findings with regard to the contributions of various brain subregions, cell types, and neurotransmitters to motor learning. Aiming to seek therapeutic strategies to restore the motor memory in relative neurodegenerative disorders, we also briefly describe the common experimental tests and manipulations for motor memory in rodents.

scholarly journals Preservation of motor skill learning in patients with multiple sclerosis

2010 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina Tomassini ◽  
Heidi Johansen-Berg ◽  
Laura Leonardi ◽  
Luis Paixão ◽  
Saad Jbabdi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Motor Learning ◽  
Brain Plasticity ◽  
Skill Learning ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Performance Improvements ◽  
Neurobiological Substrates ◽  
Short And Long Term ◽  
And Control

Background:Several studies have demonstrated benefits of rehabilitation in multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the neuroscientific foundations for rehabilitation in MS are poorly established. Objectives:As rehabilitation and motor learning share similar mechanisms of brain plasticity, we test whether the dynamics of skill learning are preserved in MS patients relative to controls. Methods:MS patients and controls learned a repeating sequence of hand movements and were assessed for short-term learning. Long-term learning was tested in another cohort of patients and controls practising the same sequence daily for two weeks. Results:Despite differences in baseline performance, the dynamics and extent of improvements were comparable between MS and control groups for both the short- and long-term learning. Even the most severely damaged patients were capable of performance improvements of similar magnitude to that seen in controls. After one week of training patients performed as well as the controls at baseline. Conclusions:Mechanisms for short- and long-term plasticity may compensate for impaired functional connectivity in MS to mediate behavioural improvements. Future studies are needed to define the neurobiological substrates of this plasticity and the extent to which mechanisms of plasticity in patients may be distinct from those used for motor learning in controls.

Sleep and motor learning

2020 ◽  
pp. 12-19
Author(s):  
Antonio Cicchella
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Experimental Research ◽  
Human Body ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Finger Tapping ◽  
Historical Overview ◽  
Motor Tasks ◽  
Sleep Habits ◽  
Simple Motor ◽  
Function Of Sleep

Sleep is a process, which happens in human body and has many functions. One relatively recently studied function of sleep is its involvement in the motor learning process. This paper presents a historical overview of the studies on sleep, and the results of two experimental research studies that explore the motor learning of a simple finger tapping tasks performed by adults, and the sleep habits of boys practicing sports. The research results show that sleep has an effect on improving motion retention of simple motor tasks, and that sports improve sleep for boys, thus contributing to better learning.

scholarly journals Interactive effects of incentive value and valence on the performance of discrete action sequences

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tyler J. Adkins ◽  
Bradley S. Gary ◽  
Taraz G. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Motor Tasks ◽  
Skill Retention ◽  
Incentive Value ◽  
Discrete Action ◽  
On Line ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Gains And Losses

AbstractIncentives can be used to increase motivation, leading to better learning and performance on skilled motor tasks. Prior work has shown that monetary punishments enhance on-line performance while equivalent monetary rewards enhance off-line skill retention. However, a large body of literature on loss aversion has shown that losses are treated as larger than equivalent gains. The divergence between the effects of punishments and reward on motor learning could be due to perceived differences in incentive value rather than valence per se. We test this hypothesis by manipulating incentive value and valence while participants trained to perform motor sequences. Consistent with our hypothesis, we found that large reward enhanced on-line performance but impaired the ability to retain the level of performance achieved during training. However, we also found that on-line performance was better with reward than punishment and that the effect of increasing incentive value was more linear with reward (small, medium, large) while the effect of value was more binary with punishment (large vs not large). These results suggest that there are differential effects of punishment and reward on motor learning and that these effects of valence are unlikely to be driven by differences in the subjective magnitude of gains and losses.

The feasibility and efficacy of a serial reaction time task that measures motor learning of anticipatory stepping

2021 ◽  
Vol 86 ◽  
pp. 346-353
Author(s):  
Geneviève N. Olivier ◽  
Serene S. Paul ◽  
Christopher S. Walter ◽  
Heather A. Hayes ◽  
K. Bo Foreman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Motor Learning ◽  
Reaction Time Task ◽  
Serial Reaction Time Task ◽  
Serial Reaction Time ◽  
Time Task ◽  
Serial Reaction

Adaptation of Stuttering Frequency During Repeated Readings

1998 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 1265-1281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ludo Max ◽  
Anthony J. Caruso
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Transition Rate ◽  
Speech Rate ◽  
The Other ◽  
Repeated Readings ◽  
Vowel Duration ◽  
Articulation Rate ◽  
Motor Tasks ◽  
Learning Hypothesis ◽  
Word Duration

This study is part of a series investigating the hypothesis that stuttering adaptation is a result of motor learning. Previous investigations indicate that nonspeech motor learning typically is associated with an increase in speed of performance. Previous investigations of stuttering, on the other hand, indicate that improvements in fluency during most fluency-enhancing conditions or after stuttering treatment tend to be associated with decreased speech rate, increased duration of specific acoustic segments, and decreased vowel duration variability. The present acoustic findings, obtained from 8 individuals who stutter, reveal that speech adjustments occurring during adaptation differ from those reported for other fluency-enhancing conditions or stuttering treatment. Instead, the observed changes are consistent with those occurring during skill improvements for nonspeech motor tasks and, thus, with a motor learning hypothesis of stuttering adaptation. During the last of 6 repeated readings, a statistically significant increase in articulation rate was observed, together with a decrease in word duration, vowel duration, and consonant-vowel (CV) transition extent. Other adjustments showing relatively consistent trends across individual subjects included decreased CV transition rate and duration, and increased variability of both CV transition extent and vowel duration.

scholarly journals The effects of habits on motor skill learning

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola J. Popp ◽  
Atsushi Yokoi ◽  
Paul L. Gribble ◽  
Jörn Diedrichsen
Keyword(s):  
Athletic Training ◽  
Motor Skill ◽  
Habit Formation ◽  
Motor Pattern ◽  
Performance Outcomes ◽  
Skill Learning ◽  
Training Period ◽  
Production Task ◽  
Motor Sequence ◽  
Sequence Production

AbstractSkill learning involves the formation of stable motor patterns. In musical and athletic training, however, these stable motor habits can also impede the attainment of higher levels of performance. We developed an experimental paradigm to induce a specific motor pattern in the context of a discrete sequence production task and to investigate how these habits affect performance over a 3-week training period. Participants initially practiced small segments of 2 to 3 finger movements (“chunks”) and then learned longer sequences composed of these chunks. This initial training induced a persistent temporal pattern during execution, with shorter inter-press-intervals within a chunk and longer ones at chunk boundaries. This pattern remained stable during the subsequent 10 days of training, in which participants were asked to produce the sequence as fast as possible from memory. The habit was also preserved when the sequences were directly displayed, removing the need for memory recall. We were able to induce chunking patterns that were either beneficial or detrimental to performance by taking into consideration the biomechanical constraints of the sequences. While we observed an overall reduction in the detrimental effect of the disadvantageous chunking instructions with training, our results show that the degree to which these detrimental chunk structures were maintained, was predictive of lower levels of final performance. In sum, we were able to induce beneficial and detrimental motor habits in a motor sequence production task and show that these initial instructions influenced performance outcomes over a prolonged period of time.Significance StatementA habit is defined as an automatized action that resists modification once sufficiently established. Preventing bad habits, while reinforcing good habits, is a key objective when teaching new motor skills. While habit formation is an integral part of motor skill acquisition, previous research has focused on habit formation in terms of action selection. In this paper, we examine habit formation in terms of motor skill execution, after the action has been selected. We were able to induce beneficial or detrimental motor habits in the production of motor sequences. Habits were stable over a prolonged training period. Our results demonstrate how cognitive instruction can lead to persistent motor habits and we explore how these habits are potentially modified with training.

scholarly journals Learning the same motor task twice impairs its retention in a time- and dose-dependent manner

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1942) ◽  
pp. 20202556
Author(s):  
R. Hamel ◽  
L. Dallaire-Jean ◽  
É. De La Fontaine ◽  
J. F. Lepage ◽  
P. M. Bernier
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Refractory Period ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Learning Session ◽  
Concurrent Learning ◽  
Performance Improvements ◽  
Dependent Process ◽  
Initial Learning ◽  
Dose Dependent

Anterograde interference emerges when two differing tasks are learned in close temporal proximity, an effect repeatedly attributed to a competition between differing task memories. However, recent development alternatively suggests that initial learning may trigger a refractory period that occludes neuroplasticity and impairs subsequent learning, consequently mediating interference independently of memory competition. Accordingly, this study tested the hypothesis that interference can emerge when the same motor task is being learned twice, that is when competition between memories is prevented. In a first experiment, the inter-session interval (ISI) between two identical motor learning sessions was manipulated to be 2 min, 1 h or 24 h. Results revealed that retention of the second session was impaired as compared to the first one when the ISI was 2 min but not when it was 1 h or 24 h, indicating a time-dependent process. Results from a second experiment replicated those of the first one and revealed that adding a third motor learning session with a 2 min ISI further impaired retention, indicating a dose-dependent process. Results from a third experiment revealed that the retention impairments did not take place when a learning session was preceded by simple rehearsal of the motor task without concurrent learning, thus ruling out fatigue and confirming that retention is impaired specifically when preceded by a learning session. Altogether, the present results suggest that competing memories is not the sole mechanism mediating anterograde interference and introduce the possibility that a time- and dose-dependent refractory period—independent of fatigue—also contributes to its emergence. One possibility is that learning transiently perturbs the homeostasis of learning-related neuronal substrates. Introducing additional learning when homeostasis is still perturbed may not only impair performance improvements, but also memory formation.

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