The provision of feedback is a crucial factor for the evolution of the learner’s performance. It is known that the knowledge of performance has the function of guiding the learner’s attention to critical aspects of the movement pattern. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of frequency of knowledge of performance (KP) during the acquisition of the basketball free throw in older persons. Sixty active individuals (men and women) aged 60–69 years of age, divided into three experimental groups received KP in 100, 66, and 33% of their attempts during three practice sessions totaling 90 trials. The task was the basketball free throw. Volunteers were asked to conduct tests of immediate retention, 24 h retention, and 24 h transfer test, after the last practice session. During the acquisition phase, the volunteers received KP on the movement pattern on the previous attempt, which was obtained from a qualitative hierarchical checklist of the free throw (14 items). Sessions were recorded in order to confirm whether volunteers were able to score throughout sessions. ANOVA indicated that all individuals showed an improved performance in the retention and transfer tests. But the KP frequency of 66% was superior in both qualitative (movement pattern) and quantitative (score) measurements throughout the trials (p ≤ 0.05). In conclusion older persons seem to need an optimal KP frequency supply during the learning process.

The aim of this study was to verify if older adults would benefit from a self-controlled schedule of knowledge of performance (KP) in the motor skill learning. The study's participants included 22 women and 18 men, with an average age of 68 years (SD = 2.95 years). These were divided into two groups: "Self", in which participants had control over when they received KP, and "Yoked", in which participants received KP in a paired manner with the Self group. The learning task was golf putting. Results showed that the groups had similar scores for accuracy and consistency of performance. Results also showed that KP requests were more based on bad than good trials. It appears that the important variable for motor learning is not who controls the provision of feedback, but the older adults' ability to use the information.

Purpose. 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.

No abstract

It is known that the elderly population is increasing in relatively high numbers, generating concerns about the care they need. A form of seniors remain active is through the learning of new motor skills. In this sense, few studies involving the elderly population and the contextual interference effect have been found, particularly, studies that used sports skills as task. The objective of this study was to investigate if there is the contextual interference effect on sports skill learning in elderly. We selected 40 old persons (65-80 years old), physically active, which were divided randomly into two groups: random varied practice; and practice varied in blocks. The task was the throwing practiced at the bocce game, in which the ball should reach three targets at distances of 2, 4 and 6 meters. The practice consisted of 120 attempts divided into two practice sessions. Two Retention tests were conducted (10 min and 24 hours) and also two Transfer tests (24 hours), being performed with the preferential hand and also with the non-preferential hand of the participant, with the target at 5 meters. The performance measures used were the radial error, the standard deviation of radial error and frequency of gross errors. Kinematic measures were also used, such as amplitude, average speed and peak of acceleration in the displacement of the ball on the forwardswing; and also, speed of release of the ball. Comparisons between the practice groups, found no difference in the radial error or the standard deviation of the error (p > 0.05), but in the frequency of gross errors, there was a difference between the groups only at the acquisition phase (p < 0.05). In addition, the inferential analysis on retention and transfer tests, both the average speed as the speed of release, showed that the elderly of both groups have changed the speed (p < 0.05), probably trying to adjust the movement. Pearson correlations were performed between performance and kinematic measures and there was only a weak correlation between the radial error and amplitude on the transfer test with the non-preferential hand (p < 0.05). Overall, the results showed that the groups have similar performance on both practice structures (random and blocks) and, therefore, there was no effect of contextual interference in learning this sport skill by the elderly. However, it can be argued that the proper control of force needed in this task may require more practice time to be acquired.