title: Generalisation of new sequence knowledge depends on response modality.
abstract: New visuomotor skills can guide behaviour in novel situations. Prior studies indicate that learning a visuospatial sequence via responses based on manual key presses leads to effector- and response-independent knowledge. Little is known, however, about the extent to which new sequence knowledge can generalise, and, thereby guide behaviour, outside of the manual response modality. Here, we examined whether learning a visuospatial sequence either via manual (key presses, without eye movements), oculomotor (obligatory eye movements), or perceptual (covert reorienting of visuospatial attention) responses supported generalisation to direct and indirect tests administered either in the same (baseline conditions) or a novel response modality (transfer conditions) with respect to initial study. Direct tests measured the use of conscious knowledge about the studied sequence, whereas the indirect tests did not ostensibly draw on the study phase and measured response priming. Oculomotor learning supported the use of conscious knowledge on the manual direct tests, whereas manual learning supported generalisation to the oculomotor direct tests but did not support the conscious use of knowledge. Sequence knowledge acquired via perceptual responses did not generalise onto any of the manual tests. Manual, oculomotor, and perceptual sequence learning all supported generalisation in the baseline conditions. Notably, the manual baseline condition and the manual to oculomotor transfer condition differed in the magnitude of general skill acquired during the study phase; however, general skill did not predict performance on the post-study tests. The results demonstrated that generalisation was only affected by the responses used to initially code the visuospatial sequence when new knowledge was applied to a novel response modality. We interpret these results in terms of response-effect distinctiveness, the availability of integrated effector- and motor-plan based information, and discuss their implications for neurocognitive accounts of sequence learning.
authors: Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom. clive.rosenthal@clneuro.ox.ac.uk
authors: Clive R
authors: CR
authors: Rosenthal
authors: Tammy W C
authors: TW
authors: Ng
authors: Christopher
authors: C
authors: Kennard
mesh_terms: D005133:Eye Movements / Q000502:physiology; D005793:Generalization, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D011930:Reaction Time; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology
references: Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2006 Apr;16(2):213-21
references: 16563734
references: Psychol Rev. 2003 Apr;110(2):316-39
references: 12747526
references: J Mot Behav. 2002 Sep;34(3):299-307
references: 19260180
references: J Neurosci. 2010 Jun 16;30(24):8332-41
references: 20554884
references: Psychol Res. 2005 Mar;69(4):242-51
references: 15235913
references: J Neurosci. 2007 Sep 19;27(38):10073-5
references: 17881512
references: J Exp Psychol Gen. 2007 Feb;136(1):43-63
references: 17324084
references: Memory. 2001 Jul-Nov;9(4-6):433-44
references: 11594362
references: Brain Res. 2006 May 23;1090(1):163-71
references: 16677617
references: Neuron. 2008 Apr 24;58(2):261-72
references: 18439410
references: J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 2002 May;28(3):445-57
references: 12018497
references: Brain. 1997 Jan;120 ( Pt 1):123-40
references: 9055803
references: Mem Cognit. 2006 Mar;34(2):420-32
references: 16752605
references: Psychol Res. 2005 Jun;69(5-6):369-82
references: 15856286
references: Res Q Exerc Sport. 2002 Mar;73(1):47-57
references: 11926484
references: Psychol Rev. 1998 Jul;105(3):558-84
references: 9697430
references: Q J Exp Psychol A. 2003 May;56(4):685-703
references: 12745836
references: Neural Netw. 1998 Oct;11(7-8):1317-29
references: 12662752
references: Exp Brain Res. 2002 Oct;146(3):369-78
references: 12232693
references: J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 2000 Jul;26(4):863-82
references: 10946368
references: Mem Cognit. 2000 Apr;28(3):366-75
references: 10881554
references: J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 2003 Jul;29(4):581-97
references: 12924860
references: Front Syst Neurosci. 2011 Mar 11;5:13
references: 21441994
references: Exp Brain Res. 2008 Aug;189(2):145-58
references: 18478209
references: J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 1989 Nov;15(6):1061-9
references: 2530306
references: Exp Brain Res. 2005 Aug;165(1):114-24
references: 15965762
references: Psychol Res. 1997;60(1-2):24-41
references: 9225617
references: Brain Res Cogn Brain Res. 2000 Jan;9(1):35-9
references: 10666554
references: Neuropsychopharmacology. 2006 Aug;31(8):1768-76
references: 16237384
references: J Neurosci. 1998 Nov 15;18(22):9420-8
references: 9801380
references: Q J Exp Psychol A. 2005 Aug;58(6):1087-101
references: 16194949
references: Q J Exp Psychol A. 2005 Apr;58(3):387-419
references: 16025755
references: J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 1992 Jul;18(4):785-800
references: 1385616
references: PLoS Biol. 2006 Oct;4(10):e316
references: 16968135
references: J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 1989 Nov;15(6):1047-60
references: 2530305
references: J Mot Behav. 2003 Mar;35(1):33-40
references: 12724097
references: J Neurosci. 2007 Jan 31;27(5):1045-53
references: 17267558
references: Curr Biol. 2007 Nov 6;17(21):1896-902
references: 17964167
references: J Neurosci. 2009 Dec 2;29(48):15115-25
references: 19955363
references: Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2002 Apr;12(2):217-22
references: 12015240
references: Exp Psychol. 2002;49(2):153-62
references: 12053533
references: Mem Cognit. 1999 May;27(3):561-72
references: 10355244
references: Psychol Res. 2001;65(2):71-80
references: 11414006
references: J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 2009 Mar;35(2):528-41
references: 19271864
references: J Cogn Neurosci. 2004 Jan-Feb;16(1):127-38
references: 15006042
references: J Neurosci. 2010 Mar 24;30(12):4515-21
references: 20335489
references: Hum Brain Mapp. 1994;1(3):221-34
references: 24578042
references: Acta Psychol (Amst). 2000 Mar;104(1):45-67
references: 10769939
references: J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform. 1983 Feb;9(1):86-102
references: 6220126
references: Psychol Res. 2000;63(1):22-35
references: 10743384
references: Psychol Res. 2006 Mar;70(2):88-102
references: 15611881
references: Psychol Res. 2003 Aug;67(3):160-73
references: 12955507
references: J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 1996 Mar;22(2):350-64
references: 8901340
references: Psychon Bull Rev. 2001 Jun;8(2):343-50
references: 11495124
references: Q J Exp Psychol (Hove). 2008 Feb;61(2):203-9
references: 17886161
references: J Neurophysiol. 2002 Sep;88(3):1451-60
references: 12205165
references: Psychol Res. 2002 May;66(2):99-109
references: 12132119
references: J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 1999 Nov;25(6):1435-51
references: 10605830
references: Neuron. 2003 Mar 27;37(6):1013-25
references: 12670429
references: Psychon Bull Rev. 2002 Jun;9(2):362-7
references: 12120801
references: J Mot Behav. 1995 Jun;27(2):179-192
references: 12736126
references: J Exp Psychol Gen. 2004 Mar;133(1):31-45
references: 14979750
references: Brain Res. 2007 Mar 16;1137(1):117-30
references: 17229409
references: J Mot Behav. 2002 Sep;34(3):253-70
references: 19260176
references: Mem Cognit. 2007 Mar;35(2):326-33
references: 17645173
references: Exp Brain Res. 2003 Jan;148(1):38-49
references: 12478395
references: Exp Brain Res. 2000 May;132(2):149-62
references: 10853941