RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Interaction of Feedback Frequency and Task Difficulty in Children's Motor Skill Learning
JF Demo Journal of Physical Therapy
FD HighWire Press
SP 948
OP 957
DO 10.demo/ptj.20110378
VO 92
IS 7
A1 Sidaway, Ben
A1 Bates, Justin
A1 Occhiogrosso, Barbara
A1 Schlagenhaufer, Jessica
A1 Wilkes, Delany
YR 2012
UL http://demo.highwire.org/content/92/7/948.abstract
AB Background Providing adults with knowledge of results (KR) after each practice trial (100% KR) usually is found to be detrimental to motor skill learning compared with conditions in which feedback is less frequently provided. The effect of 100% KR on children's learning is less clear, with research showing that children with cerebral palsy benefit from less frequent KR, whereas children with typical development do not.Objective This study was designed to examine the interaction of KR frequency and task complexity on the acquisition, retention, and transfer of a novel throwing skill in fourth- and fifth-grade children with typical development.Design This was an observational study.Methods Children threw beanbags for accuracy at an unseen target while walking or while standing still. These 2 levels of task complexity were crossed with 2 frequencies (33% and 100%) of KR provision. Following practice, retention tests without feedback were performed 5 minutes later and then 1 week later along with transfer tests to assess the generalizability of learning.Results Analyses revealed that learning was improved on the easy version of the task when a 33% KR frequency was provided during practice. In contrast, in the difficult version, learning was facilitated by provision of a 100% KR frequency during practice.Conclusions Structuring practice conditions for children should take into account task complexity and feedback frequency in determining the cognitive challenge necessary for optimal skill learning. More generally, the findings suggest that practitioners teaching motor skills should design practice conditions in accordance with the cognitive processing capacity of the learner.