Skill transfer specificity shapes perception and action under varying environmental constraints

Abstract

Using an ecological dynamics framework, this study investigated the generality and specificity of skill transfer processes in organisation of perception and action using climbing as a task vehicle. Fluency of hip trajectory and orientation was assessed using normalized jerk coefficients exhibited by participants as they adapted perception and action under varying environmental constraints. Twelve recreational climbers were divided into two groups: one completing a 10-m high route on an indoor climbing wall; a second undertaking a 10-m high route on an icefall in a top-rope condition. We maintained the same level of difficulty between these two performance environments. An inertial measurement unit was attached each climber's hips to collect 3D acceleration and 3D orientation data to compute jerk coefficient values. Video footage was used to record the ratio of exploratory/performatory movements. Results showed higher jerk coefficient values and number of exploratory movements for performance on the icefall route, perhaps due to greater functional complexity in perception and action required when climbing icefalls, which involves use of specific tools for anchorage. Findings demonstrated how individuals solve different motor problems, exploiting positive general transfer processes enabling participants to explore the pick-up of information for the perception of affordances specific to icefall climbing.

Creating adaptive athletes: the athletic skills model for enhancing physical literacy as a foundation for expertise

“…This means that practising a donorsport will contribute to elements of the target sport and thus your expertise level in that particular sport (see for elaborate discussion Wormhoudt et al, 2018). Recent research supports this donorsport idea and shows a positive transfer for climbing from one environment to another one (Seifert, Wattebled, Orth, L'Hermette, Boulanger, & Davids, 2016) and from futsal to football (Oppici, Panchuk, Serpiello, & Farrow, 2018).…”

“…However, in the ice climbing task, the indoor climbers exhibited more exploratory actions and lower climbing fluencysuggesting that they used the basic skills of regulating bodyweight to help begin to learn skills specific to the ice climbing environment (such as determining if the icefall density was sufficient to support vertical ascent). While the emotional and psychological requirements for climbing icefalls would have been significantly different from those required to climb indoor walls, many of the underlying skills were similar (Seifert et al, 2016). In this case indoor climbing as a donorsport can help prepare individuals for safer exploration and more effective participation in ice climbing.…”

Creative Motor Actions As Emerging from Movement Variability

“…In this case, the benefit to the learner of exploring a single or few coordinative patterns is that functionality may improve faster, which is perhaps traded against a reduction in novelty at the coordination level. So long as constraints in new contexts support the practiced control solutions or if these solutions can be used to learn in new contexts, the individual can transfer their skill and learning effectively to new contexts ( Seifert et al, 2016b ).…”

Constraints representing a meta-stable régime facilitate exploration during practice and transfer of learning in a complex multi-articular task

“…On the other hand, the grasping actions for horizontally aligned holds 477 appeared to be easier to transfer to the route finding task. The less experienced 478 climbers transfer of skill to the horizontal route can be explained as a function 479 these grasping opportunities perhaps matching fundamentally stable grasping 480 actions, such as ladder climbing Seifert, Wattebled, et al, 2016 back to the use of the more stable horizontal actions, yet this opportunity was 495 not exploited to a large effect relative the vertical edge condition. Related to this 496 concern is the fact that a similar level of hand hold exploration was occurring on 497 the vertical edged route, which in contrast, had half the number of edges.…”