A comparison of intra- and inter-limb relative motion information in modelling a novel motor skill.
The importance of intra- and inter-limb relative motion in modelling a whole body coordination skill was examined. Participants were assigned to one of four groups: Full-Body point light model of a cricket bowler, INTRA-LIMB relative motion of the bowling arm, INTER-LIMB relative motions of the right and left wrists or NO-Relative motion, showing only the motions of the right wrist. During 60 acquisition trials, participants viewed the model five times before each 10-trial block. Retention was examined the following day. Although all groups improved on intra-limb coordination of the bowling arm, the INTRA-LIMB and FULL-BODY groups were more accurate than the INTER-LIMB group in acquisition, although these groups did not differ in retention. For inter-limb coordination, the three groups who received relative motion information performed more like the model than the NO-Relative motion group (even though the INTRA-LIMB group did not see the other limb). The amount of information within a display plays a constraining role on acquisition, perhaps more so than the type of information, such that the acquisition of coordination is more an emergent feature of observational learning, rather than a direct approximation of the model.
Breslin
Gavin
G
School of Psychology, David Keir Building, Queen's University Belfast, BT7 1NN, Ireland.
Hodges
Nicola J
NJ
Williams
A Mark
AM
Kremer
J
J
Curran
W
W
D000328:Adult; D001132:Arm; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D007596:Joints / Q000502:physiology; D007866:Leg; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009068:Movement; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D013177:Sports