Improving novel motor learning through prior high contextual interference training

Kim, T.; Chen, Jing; Verwey, Willem B.; Wright, David L.

doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2017.11.005

Cited by 19 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Following RP, in contrast, there was a significant increase in response time over the 24-h period, suggesting that low contextual interference provides for less stabile representation of the practiced motor sequence. This finding is consistent with previous demonstrations that IP establishes stability in motor memory representations while RP typically results in forgetting in the period following training (e.g., Kim et al, 2018).…”

Section: Long-term Performance and Prefrontal Cortex Recruitment Following High And Low Contextual Interference Practice Conditionssupporting

confidence: 93%

Prefrontal Cortex Activation During Motor Sequence Learning Under Interleaved and Repetitive Practice: A Two-Channel Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study

Immink

Pointon

Wright

et al. 2021

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

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Training under high interference conditions through interleaved practice (IP) results in performance suppression during training but enhances long-term performance relative to repetitive practice (RP) involving low interference. Previous neuroimaging work addressing this contextual interference effect of motor learning has relied heavily on the blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) response using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) methodology resulting in mixed reports of prefrontal cortex (PFC) recruitment under IP and RP conditions. We sought to clarify these equivocal findings by imaging bilateral PFC recruitment using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) while discrete key pressing sequences were trained under IP and RP schedules and subsequently tested following a 24-h delay. An advantage of fNIRS over the fMRI BOLD response is that the former measures oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin changes independently allowing for assessment of cortical hemodynamics even when there is neurovascular decoupling. Despite slower sequence performance durations under IP, bilateral PFC oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin values did not differ between practice conditions. During test, however, slower performance from those previously trained under RP coincided with hemispheric asymmetry in PFC recruitment. Specifically, following RP, test deoxygenated hemoglobin values were significantly lower in the right PFC. The present findings contrast with previous behavioral demonstrations of increased cognitive demand under IP to illustrate a more complex involvement of the PFC in the contextual interference effect. IP and RP incur similar levels of bilateral PFC recruitment, but the processes underlying the recruitment are dissimilar. PFC recruitment during IP supports action reconstruction and memory elaboration while RP relies on PFC recruitment to maintain task variation information in working memory from trial to trial. While PFC recruitment under RP serves to enhance immediate performance, it does not support long-term performance.

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Section: Long-term Performance and Prefrontal Cortex Recruitment Following High And Low Contextual Interference Practice Conditionssupporting

confidence: 93%

Prefrontal Cortex Activation During Motor Sequence Learning Under Interleaved and Repetitive Practice: A Two-Channel Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study

Immink

Pointon

Wright

et al. 2021

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Other studies concerning the CI effect in novel motor skill learning found that prior experience with interleaved practice improved new motor task acquisition, however, delayed retention was unaffected by practice schedule (Hodges et al, 2014;Kim et al, 2016Kim et al, , 2018. Hodges et al (2014) found that random practice experience, compared with blocked practice, led to better acquisition of three novel motor skills after a oneday delay and mitigated the low accuracy cost usually associated with random practice, but ultimately did not affect retention.…”

Section: Implicit Motor Sequence Transfermentioning

confidence: 92%

Interleaved practice benefits implicit sequence learning and transfer

Schorn

Knowlton

2021

Mem Cogn

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Compared to blocked practice, interleaved practice of different tasks leads to superior long-term retention despite poorer initial acquisition performance. This phenomenon, the contextual interference effect, is well documented in various domains but it is not yet clear if it persists in the absence of explicit knowledge in terms of fine motor sequence learning. Additionally, while there is some evidence that interleaved practice leads to improved transfer of learning to similar actions, transfer of implicit motor sequence learning has not been explored. The present studies used a serial reaction time task where participants practiced three different eight-item sequences that were either interleaved or blocked on Day 1 (training) and Day 2 (testing). In Experiment 1, the retention of the three training sequences was tested on Day 2 and in Experiment 2, three novel sequences were performed on Day 2 to measure transfer. We assessed whether subjects were aware of the sequences to determine whether the benefit of interleaved practice extends to implicitly learned sequences. Even for participants who reported no awareness of the sequences, interleaving led to a benefit for both retention and transfer compared to participants who practiced blocked sequences. Those who trained with blocked sequences were left unprepared for interleaved sequences at test, while those who trained with interleaved sequences were unaffected by testing condition, revealing that learning resulting from blocked practice may be less flexible and more vulnerable to testing conditions. These results indicate that the benefit of interleaved practice extends to implicit motor sequence learning and transfer.

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“…This task typically involves two fixed series of 6 or 7 successive key presses. Learning these discrete motor sequences has previously been found to also benefit from high CI (Cross et al, 2007;Immink & Wright, 1998;Kim et al, 2018). CI research with the DSP task has the advantage that predictions can be tested using the Cognitive framework for Sequential Motor Behavior (C-SMB, Verwey et al, 2015, which extended the Dual Processor Model, Abrahamse et al, 2013).…”

Section: Discrete Motor Sequences and C-smbmentioning

confidence: 99%

A multi-representation approach to the contextual interference effect: effects of sequence length and practice

Verwey

Wright

Immink

2021

Psychological Research

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The present study investigated the long-term benefit of Random-Practice (RP) over Blocked-Practice (BP) within the contextual interference (CI) effect for motor learning. We addressed the extent to which motor sequence length and practice amount factors moderate the CI effect given that previous reports, often in applied research, have reported no long-term advantage from RP. Based on predictions arising from the Cognitive framework of Sequential Motor Behavior (C-SMB) and using the Discrete Sequence Production (DSP) task, two experiments were conducted to compare limited and extended practice amounts of 4- and 7-key sequences under RP and BP schedules. Twenty-four-hour delayed retention performance confirmed the C-SMB prediction that the CI-effect occurs only with short sequences that receive little practice. The benefit of RP with limited practice was associated with overnight motor memory consolidation. Further testing with single-stimulus as well as novel and unstructured (i.e., random) sequences indicated that limited practice under RP schedules enhances both reaction and chunking modes of sequence execution with the latter mode benefitting from the development of implicit and explicit forms of sequence representation. In the case of 7-key sequences, extended practice with RP and BP schedules provided for equivalent development of sequence representations. Higher explicit awareness of sequence structures was associated with faster completion of practiced but also of novel and unstructured sequences.

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Improving novel motor learning through prior high contextual interference training

Cited by 19 publications

References 37 publications

Prefrontal Cortex Activation During Motor Sequence Learning Under Interleaved and Repetitive Practice: A Two-Channel Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study

Prefrontal Cortex Activation During Motor Sequence Learning Under Interleaved and Repetitive Practice: A Two-Channel Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study

Interleaved practice benefits implicit sequence learning and transfer

A multi-representation approach to the contextual interference effect: effects of sequence length and practice

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