Chp 16- unit B, Practice Variability and Specificity
Which of the following statements is true of the challenge point hypothesis proposed by Guadagnoli and Lee (2004)?
It helps determine effective practice conditions based on task difficulty and the skill level of a person.
Which of the following is a practice characteristic that increases the chances for future performance success of a learner's experiences?
Variability
Identify the view of Proteau and his colleagues that motivated the specific focus of their research.
Visual sensory feedback is important in the early stage of learning.
In the motor learning context, engaging in problem-solving activity during practice in high contextual interference conditions leads to _____.
better retention and transfer test performance
In the context of the discrepancy between laboratory and applied settings for learning of skill variations in Brady's investigation on the contextual interference effect, sports skills tend to be more _____.
complex and difficult than the typical laboratory skills
In the context of performance variability, the interference that results from performing various tasks or skills within the background of practice is referred to as __ __
contextual interference
The ___ ___ effect occurs when a high amount of contextual interference results in better learning of the task variations than a low amount.
contextual interference
A few professional basketball players were placed in two groups and were made to practice shooting free throws from different distances from the hoop four times a week for three weeks. The first group practiced shooting from 3 meters each day. The second group practiced shooting from different distances each day. The test result showed that the second group performed better than the first group. This scenario is an example of the _____ outside the laboratory for skilled individuals.
contextual interference effect
During a balance control physical therapy session, patients were divided into two groups and each group practiced different balance control exercises. One group practiced according to a random schedule that included randomly distributed practice trials. The other group followed a blocked practice schedule in which each movement pattern was practiced in its own unit of trials. In the retention and transfer tests, it was observed that the group that practiced according to a random practice schedule performed better than the other group. This scenario exemplifies the _____.
contextual interference effect
In a school, students with no prior volleyball experience were placed in two groups to practice volleyball serves three days a week for four weeks. The blocked practice group practiced the topspin serve in every practice session, whereas the random practice group tried the floater, topspin, and jump serves randomly in every practice session. During the retention tests, it was observed that the random practice group performed much better than the blocked practice group. This scenario is an example of the _____ outside the laboratory for beginners.
contextual interference effect
The first step in making a decision about what to vary during the practice of a closed skill is to _____.
determine if the skill involves intertrial variability for the regulatory conditions in a test situation
In the first comprehensive review of the research literature, Magill and Hall (1990) hypothesized that the contextual interference effect would more likely be found for motor skill variations controlled by _____.
different generalized motor programs
A group of people are asked to remember ten different images shown to them. Each image is displayed five times and is accompanied by a distinct musical note. When a transfer test is conducted, it is observed that the participants recall more images when the images and music are presented to them in the original combination. The given scenario illustrates the importance of the _____.
encoding specificity principle
Kelly, an elementary school student, is shown various objects and asked to remember their shapes. Though the objects are color coded, it is an incidental part of the performance context. However, when a transfer test is conducted, Kelly performs better when the objects she is shown are of the same color as before. The given scenario illustrates the importance of the _____.
encoding specificity principle
In the motor learning context, high contextual interference conditions require learners to _____.
engage more actively in problem-solving activity during practice
An experiment was conducted on golf players in which they were required to play different shots from distances either more or less than the standard distance. It was observed that the participants consistently played accurate shots from the regulation distance. This scenario is said to exemplify the _____.
especial skill effect
Jim is a baseball pitcher. During one of the practice matches, he was required to pitch from different distances. It was observed that Jim pitched more accurately from the regulation distance than from distances shorter or longer than it. This scenario is a possible example of the _____.
especial skill effect
A limitation of the contextual interference effect is that it has been demonstrated in laboratory conditions but not in conditions outside the laboratory.
false
The schema theory of a generalizable memory representation for a class of movements explains why performance at one specific distance would in actuality be so much better than predicted from performance at other distances.
false
True or false: When several variations of skill must be learned, practitioners should base any practice schedule modification on performance difficulties evident from practice sessions.
false
In the context of transfer of learning, the inclusion of movement and context variability in practice can be seen as a means of enhancing positive transfer _____.
from the practice to the test contexts
In the context of performance, _____ remembering refers to when an individual must remember specified characteristics of an environment.
intentional
True or false: Prior to Battig's initial demonstration of the contextual interference effect, researchers traditionally viewed interference as something that facilitates learning.
False
For open skills, regulatory conditions:
Can change from one performance to another and during the movement execution
Schmidt's (1975) schema theory emphasizes the learning and performance benefits derived from _____.
practice variability
During a physical therapy session, the patients are divided into two groups. The first group is instructed to lift different weights of 5kgs, 10kgs, 20kgs, and 30kgs. The second group practices lifting only 30kgs. Both the groups practice for 50 days each. At the end of the practice period, members of both the groups are asked to lift 30kgs each. The first group goes through a transfer test, while the second group goes through a retention test. It is observed that the second group shows a decline in performance. This scenario exemplifies that _____.
variable practice yields better learning than constant practice
According to the challenge point hypothesis, which of the following predictions concerning the implementation of levels of contextual interference in practice schedules are true? (Check all that apply.)
-Lower levels of contextual interferences will be optimal for beginners. -Higher levels of contextual interference will be optimal for learning skills with the lowest levels of difficulty.
In the context of the specificity of practice hypothesis, which of the following factors influence motor skill learning? (Check all that apply.)
-Performance context characteristics -Cognitive processes involved
When different levels of contextual interference during motor skill practice are compared, results typically show that:
A low contextual interference schedule is better for practice performance
Which of the following is an explanation for the contextual interference effect according to the elaboration hypothesis proposed by Shea and Morgan?
A person engages in more different strategies during random practice.
The hypothesis that explains the contextual interference effect based on the argument that between-trial interference causes individuals to forget critical information encoded on the previous trial is the:
Action plan reconstruction hypothesis
Hall and colleagues (1994) demonstrated that the contextual interference effect is:
Applicable to skilled performers
When a person experiences a practice condition where the likelihood of making errors early in practice is high, transfer performance is generally:
Better than that of a practice condition that kept errors to a minimum
Examination of brain activity associated with blocked and random practice provides support for:
Both the reconstruction and elaboration hypotheses
True or false: A high degree of difference between skill, context, and cognitive processing characteristics in practice and test situations enhances transfer between the practice and the test.
False
Which of the following is true of the relationship demonstrated by the transfer-appropriate processing theory?
Cognitive processing that occurs during practice becomes part of what is learned.
_____ is a function of the similarities between skill, context, and cognitive processing characteristics of the practice and test situations.
Effective transfer
Closed skills that involve intertrial variability
For the practice of these types of skills, both regulatory and nonregulatory conditions should vary according to expectations for the test situation.
Closed skills that do not involve intertrial variability
For the practice of these types of skills, regulatory conditions should remain constant, but nonregulatory conditions should vary according to expectations for the test situation.
Which of the following is NOT one of the learner-related characteristics of the contextual interference effect?
Higher levels of contextual interference involve greater attention demands during practice
According to Proteau's research, which of the following is true of vision in learning?
If present during practice, vision remains an essential source of sensory information throughout the stages of learning.
Identify a true statement about contextual interference.
It is high if a practice schedule involves a random arrangement of trials.
In the context of Brady's research that investigated the contextual interference effect, identify a reason that may account for the discrepancy between the laboratory and applied settings for learning of skill variations.
Learning of sport skills may require a progression of low to high amount of contextual interferences.
What is one reason why the increase in errors caused by higher levels of contextual interference may be positive for learning?
Making more errors enhances the capability to detect and correct said errors
Research suggests that blocked practice consistently leads to poor performance:
On transfer tests that involve novel skill variations or performance contexts
Regulatory conditions in a motor skill performance situation include:
Speed of a tennis ball during a rally
Samuel is learning to write. After he learns to write the letter "A," he learns to write "B," "C," and "D." When he tries to write the letter "A" again, he finds it difficult to form the letter. However, after a few tries, he is able to write it again. In the context of the contextual interference effect, which of the following hypotheses does the given scenario illustrate?
The action plan reconstruction hypothesis
Which of the following hypotheses states that the contextual interference effect occurs because a person engages in more memory storage and retrieval-related strategies during random practice than an individual who practices according to a blocked schedule?
The elaboration hypothesis
Identify the theory on which the origin of the specificity of practice hypothesis is based.
The identical elements theory
True or false: In the context of the specificity of practice hypothesis, one of the practice condition characteristics that influence motor skill learning is the perceptual information available.
True
Which of the following is the explanation for the occurrence of the contextual interference effect according to the action plan reconstruction hypothesis proposed by Lee and Magill?
Which of the following is the explanation for the occurrence of the contextual interference effect according to the action plan reconstruction hypothesis proposed by Lee and Magill?
The practice of open skills should include _____.
a variety of experiences with regulatory conditions
A limiting factor that should be considered while studying the effect of contextual interference is _____.
age & skill level
An important benefit a learner derives from practice experiences that promote movement and context variability is _____.
an increased capability to perform his or her skill in a future test situation
In the context of learner-related characteristics associated with the contextual interference effect, higher levels of contextual interference involve _____.
greater attention demands during practice
According to Magill and Hall, when skill variations are characterized by the same relative time patterns, but different overall speeds, there should be no advantage to a _____.
high over a low contextual interference practice schedule
In the context of performance, _____ remembering refers to the remembering of related but nonessential parts of an environment.
incidental
According to the findings of the studies conducted by Proteau on the role of visual feedback in learning, when the amount of practice with vision increases, the need for vision on a subsequent retention or transfer test _____.
increases
In the context of the contextual interference effect, judgment about how much people are learning while they practice is referred to as _____.
metacognition
When several variations of a skill must be learned, a practitioner should be prepared to _____.
modify the schedule after practice begins to accommodate individuals who respond poorly to the practice schedule
To perform open skills, an individual must produce certain movements that he or she has _____.
not made before in exactly the same manner as the current situation requires
In the context of learner-related characteristics associated with the contextual interference effect, people who practice according to a blocked schedule tend to _____.
overestimate how well they are learning during practice
According to the _____ hypothesis, the more characteristics two skills or situations have in common, the greater the amount of transfer of learning or performance.
practice specificity
In the context of the theories of motor skill learning and control, _____ refers to the variety of movement and context characteristics the learner experiences while practicing a skill.
practice variability
In the context of the contextual interference effect, the assessment of information about metacognition is typically done by asking people to _____.
predict how well they think they will do on a retention test
When several variations of a skill must be learned, practitioners should select a practice schedule that should _____.
produce a moderate to high amount of contextual interference
Proteau and his colleagues (1992) demonstrated that motor skill learning is _____.
specific to the sources of perceptual information available during practice
The variability of a learner's learning experience while he or she practices includes variations of _____.
the skill he or she is practicing
According to the _____, the type of practice that is best when a person is learning a skill requires the same type of cognitive processing activity that will be required in a transfer test, regardless of the physical similarity between the practice and test skills and situations.
transfer-appropriate processing theory
The contextual interference effect has been found for learning perceptual-cognitive skills required for making decisions in sports.
true
During a swimming training session, the trainees were divided into two groups. The first group practiced the butterfly stroke, whereas the second group practiced a number of strokes that also included the butterfly stroke. During the first week of practice, the first group showed a better performance than the second group. However, at the end of the month, the performance level of the first group declined during the retention test, while it increased for the second group. This scenario proves that _____.
variable practice improves performance accuracy over constant practice
