Signatures of contextual interference in implicit sensorimotor adaptation

Abstract

Contextual interference refers to the phenomenon whereby a blocked practice schedule results in faster acquisition but poorer retention of new motor skills compared to a random practice schedule. While contextual interference has been observed under a broad range of tasks, it remains unclear if this effect generalizes to the implicit and automatic recalibration of an overlearned motor skill. To address this question, we compared blocked and random practice schedules on a reaching task in which we used a feedback perturbation method that isolates implicit adaptation. The degree of implicit adaptation was quantified as the change in hand angle in the opposite direction of the perturbation, and retention was quantified as the percent of adaptation remaining after visual feedback was extinguished. In two experiments, participants tested under a random practice schedule exhibited slower implicit adaptation, but better retention compared to participants tested under a blocked practice schedule, the signature of contextual interference. These results indicate that contextual interference is not limited to the acquisition of new motor skills but also applies to the implicit adaptation of established motor skills.

Predictors of sensorimotor adaption: insights from over 100,000 reaches

“…Second, the data replicate classic contextual interference effects in the learning and memory literature (Figure 1c) (25,51–55). Specifically, contextual interference is a phenomenon where learning is slower but better retained in a random practice schedule compared to a blocked practice schedule (25,56).…”

“…Second, the data replicate classic contextual interference effects in the learning and memory literature (Figure 1c) (25,51–55). Specifically, contextual interference is a phenomenon where learning is slower but better retained in a random practice schedule compared to a blocked practice schedule (25,56). The constant switching between contexts in random practice is thought to create more elaborate and better retained motor memories (51,54,57).…”

“…Studies of sensorimotor adaptation are typically conducted with specially designed apparatuses in controlled laboratory settings. This approach has been extremely successful in revealing critical spatial (17)(18)(19)(20) and temporal (21)(22)(23)(24)(25) constraints on adaptation, as well as examining the contributions of different neural systems to this form of learning (1,2,12,(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32). However, in-person research typically involves small, homogenous samples (33), making certain research questions impractical and difficult to answer (e.g., exploring how different demographic factors modulate motor behavior).…”

Understanding implicit sensorimotor adaptation as a process of proprioceptive re-alignment

“…Although the size of the visual error never changes, adaptation eventually reaches an upper bound, averaging between 15° and 25° away from the target. Consistent with the results of Bond and Taylor, 2015 , this asymptote does not vary across a wide range of clamped rotation sizes ( Kim et al, 2018 ; Neville and Cressman, 2018 ; Tsay et al, 2022b ; Tsay et al, 2021c ).…”

A cerebellar population coding model for sensorimotor learning

“… a) In Tsay et al 82 , participants were trained with either one target or three targets. In both conditions, participants reached to a single target during the washout block.…”