title: Self-controlled amount of practice benefits learning of a motor skill.
abstract: Self-control over factors involving task-related information (e.g, feedback) can enhance motor learning. It is unknown if these benefits extend to manipulations that do not directly affect such information. The purpose of this study was to determine if self-control over the amount of practice would also facilitate learning Participants learned to throw a dart using their nonpreferred hand. The self-control (SC) group decided when to stop practice. The yoked group completed the same number of trials as their SC counterparts. Results revealed the SC group was more accurate during transfer and in recalling the number of trials completed. These findings indicate that self-control benefits extend to factors that do not directly alter task-related information.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Performance, Dance, and Recreation, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA. ppost@nmsu.edu
authors.forename: Phillip G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Post
authors.forename: Jeffrey T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Fairbrother
authors.forename: Joao A C
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Barros
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001076:Aptitude; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills; D011214:Practice, Psychological; D014163:Transfer, Psychology; D055815:Young Adult