Chapter 11: Performance and Learning

What is the main issue with learning?

We cannot directly see it

Fast vs. slow learning phases

1. Fast: Cognitive evaluative phase, trying to understand basic concepts of the movement 2. Slow: try to become more cognitively inclined by slowly thinking about the movement

What are the 5 characteristics of learning?

1. Improvement 2. Consistency 3. Persistence 4. Stability 5. Adaptability *If we can demonstrate all five of these, we can demonstrate learning.

Performance Curves

1. Insight to short-term changes in performance 2. Helps determine causes of performance if you need to intervene

What are the types of performance curves?

1. Linear 2. Positively accelerating 3. Negatively accelerating 4. Ogive

Transfer Tests

1. Measures if learning is stable despite perturbations 2. Measures if learning is adaptable to new characteristics 3. Assessment of stability and adaptability where you change the conditions of environment of position of the task

Retention Tests

1. Method to infer if learning persists 2. Given after interval of time when skill is not practiced 3. Assess performance again after a period of time without practice

Learning

1. Relatively permanent changes in motor behavior 2. Inferred from repeated observations of performance (see through correlation and observation) 3. Promoted through practice or experience

What are the three factors of performance?

1. observable behavior 2. execution of a skill at a specific time 3. evaluating an observable behavior at a specific time

Influences of Learning

1. person 2. context 3. task

What can cause a plateau

A plateau can represent a change in movement strategy (more efficient) The establishment of consistency, insensitivity of measure to any further change, fatigue, lack of attention, selective attention, changes in motivation (learned related characteristics that might be occuring)

Stability

Ability to continue to do the task in different context (change in conditions) Ex: Now performing task with a rambunctious crowd in the stand -- feedback is changing *Measured by a transfer test

Persistence

Can you demonstrate improvement after a period without practice? *measured by retention test

Adaptability

Change in movement characteristics/patterns because of a change in context

Do performance curves reveal that learning is occurring?

May show some aspects of learning but not others

What is the most common curve?

Negatively accelerating

Dynamics of action

Process measures are important to identify what is underlying the learning that occurs in outcome measures of learning that has stopped in outcome measures Motivation, fatigue, food eaten -- many factors that we don't often consider

Improvement

Some sort of goal that represents performance and you must identify improvement towards that goal *Performance Curve

Does learning occur during performance plateaus?

Yes, because you are still learning how to perform your task more efficiently The plateau can represent the establishment of consistnecy

Consistency

You must see that they perform that goal consistently throughout multiple attempts *Measured by Performance Curve