On the cognitive processes underlying contextual interference: Contributions of practice schedule, task similarity and amount of practice

Boutin, Arnaud; Blandin, Yannick

doi:10.1016/j.humov.2010.07.011

Cited by 25 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Usually, task material exploited in motor learning studies of music tend to be significantly more elaborated (melodic lines or excerpts of instrumental literature, often bimanual in the case of pianists) in order to reflect actual real-world demands of music motor behavior. Previous findings suggest that the effects of VOP may depend on the qualitative properties of the task in training and transfer (Healy et al, 2006; Boutin and Blandin, 2010). In addition to the nature of the task, several empirical accounts have indicated that the degree of complexity of a task is of crucial relevance (see Wulf and Shea, 2002).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of variability of practice in music: a pilot study on fast goal-directed movements in pianists

Bangert

Wiedemann

Jabusch

2014

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

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Variability of Practice (VOP) refers to the acquisition of a particular target movement by practicing a range of varying targets rather than by focusing on fixed repetitions of the target only. VOP has been demonstrated to have beneficial effects on transfer to a novel task and on skill consolidation. This study extends the line of research to musical practice. In a task resembling a barrier-knockdown paradigm, 36 music students trained to perform a wide left-hand interval leap on the piano. Performance at the target distance was tested before and after a 30-min standardized training session. The high-variability group (VAR) practiced four different intervals including the target. Another group (FIX) practiced the target interval only. A third group (SPA) performed spaced practice on the target only, interweaving with periods of not playing. Transfer was tested by introducing an interval novel to either group. After a 24-h period with no further exposure to the instrument, performance was retested. All groups performed at comparable error levels before training, after training, and after the retention (RET) interval. At transfer, however, the FIX group, unlike the other groups, committed significantly more errors than in the target task. After the RET period, the effect was washed out for the FIX group but then was present for VAR. Thus, the results provide only partial support for the VOP hypothesis for the given setting. Additional exploratory observations suggest tentative benefits of VOP regarding execution speed, loudness, and performance confidence. We derive specific hypotheses and specific recommendations regarding sample selection and intervention duration for future investigations. Furthermore, the proposed leap task measurement is shown to be (a) robust enough to serve as a standard framework for studies in the music domain, yet (b) versatile enough to allow for a wide range of designs not previously investigated for music on a standardized basis.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of variability of practice in music: a pilot study on fast goal-directed movements in pianists

Bangert

Wiedemann

Jabusch

2014

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

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“…It is quite possible that sequence-specific benefits only emerge as practice is extended during which critical details of practiced movement sequences are extracted and stored (see Breslin, Hodges, Kennedy, Hanlon, & Williams, 2010). Clearly, conducting the present study with substantially greater training will allow this issue to be addressed for older adults as well as afford the opportunity to evaluate if RP also supports further behavioral gain via sequence-specific learning for individuals with PD (Boutin & Blandin, 2010).…”

Section: Probing the Learning Advantage From Greater Contextual Intermentioning

confidence: 98%

Contextual Interference Can Facilitate Motor Learning in Older Adults and in Individuals With Parkinson's Disease

Sidaway

Ala²,

Baughman³

et al. 2016

Journal of Motor Behavior

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In healthy young adults motor learning is typically improved by practice under conditions of high contextual interference such as that created when a series of skills are practiced in a random sequence. The authors examined whether individuals with Parkinson's disease and age-matched older adults might also benefit from such a learning environment. Participants learned 3 peg placement movements under both random practice and blocked practice schedules. Participants completed free-recall, cued-recall, and transfer tests 1 day and 1 week following practice. During acquisition all learners had shorter movement times (MTs) during blocked than random practice but during retention testing, MTs were shorter if the patterns had been learned with random practice. Fewer errors during free recall following random practice were evident in both groups of learners and MTs to complete a novel transfer task were shorter following random practice. These findings suggest employing a cognitively challenging practice environment might improve motor skill learning in elderly learners and in people with Parkinson's disease.

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“…In line with this notion, Shea et al [22] proposed that the benefits of CI increased with increasing amounts of practice. This might suggest that a certain level of experience in a complex task is required in order to obtain benefit from randomized practice [22], [23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contextual Interference in Complex Bimanual Skill Learning Leads to Better Skill Persistence

2014

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The contextual interference (CI) effect is a robust phenomenon in the (motor) skill learning literature. However, CI has yielded mixed results in complex task learning. The current study addressed whether the CI effect is generalizable to bimanual skill learning, with a focus on the temporal evolution of memory processes. In contrast to previous studies, an extensive training schedule, distributed across multiple days of practice, was provided. Participants practiced three frequency ratios across three practice days following either a blocked or random practice schedule. During the acquisition phase, better overall performance for the blocked practice group was observed, but this difference diminished as practice progressed. At immediate and delayed retention, the random practice group outperformed the blocked practice group, except for the most difficult frequency ratio. Our main finding is that the random practice group showed superior performance persistence over a one week time interval in all three frequency ratios compared to the blocked practice group. This study contributes to our understanding of learning, consolidation and memory of complex motor skills, which helps optimizing training protocols in future studies and rehabilitation settings.

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On the cognitive processes underlying contextual interference: Contributions of practice schedule, task similarity and amount of practice

Cited by 25 publications

References 26 publications

Effects of variability of practice in music: a pilot study on fast goal-directed movements in pianists

Effects of variability of practice in music: a pilot study on fast goal-directed movements in pianists

Contextual Interference Can Facilitate Motor Learning in Older Adults and in Individuals With Parkinson's Disease

Contextual Interference in Complex Bimanual Skill Learning Leads to Better Skill Persistence

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