title: Contextual Interference Can Facilitate Motor Learning in Older Adults and in Individuals With Parkinson's Disease.
abstract: In healthy young adults motor learning is typically improved by practice under conditions of high contextual interference such as that created when a series of skills are practiced in a random sequence. The authors examined whether individuals with Parkinson's disease and age-matched older adults might also benefit from such a learning environment. Participants learned 3 peg placement movements under both random practice and blocked practice schedules. Participants completed free-recall, cued-recall, and transfer tests 1 day and 1 week following practice. During acquisition all learners had shorter movement times (MTs) during blocked than random practice but during retention testing, MTs were shorter if the patterns had been learned with random practice. Fewer errors during free recall following random practice were evident in both groups of learners and MTs to complete a novel transfer task were shorter following random practice. These findings suggest employing a cognitively challenging practice environment might improve motor skill learning in elderly learners and in people with Parkinson's disease.
authors.affiliation: a Physical Therapy, Husson University , Bangor , Maine.
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sidaway
authors.affiliation: b Physical Therapy, Aroostook Medical Center , Presque Isle , Maine.
authors.forename: Bradley
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ala
authors.affiliation: c Physical Therapy, CHANS Home Health , Brunswick , Maine.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Baughman
authors.affiliation: d Physical Therapy, Results Physical Therapy , Bangor , Maine.
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Glidden
authors.affiliation: e Physical Therapy, Androscoggin Home Care & Hospice , Lewiston , Maine.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cowie
authors.affiliation: f Physical Therapy, Maine Veteran's Home , Bangor , Maine.
authors.forename: Ashley
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Peabody
authors.affiliation: e Physical Therapy, Androscoggin Home Care & Hospice , Lewiston , Maine.
authors.forename: Darren
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Roundy
authors.affiliation: g Physical Therapy, Russell Park Rehabilitation and Living Center , Lewiston , Maine.
authors.forename: Jennie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Spaulding
authors.affiliation: h Physical Therapy, Pen Bay Medical Center , Rockport , Maine.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stephens
authors.affiliation: i Human Performance Lab, Health and Kinesiology, Texas A&M University , College Station , Texas.
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Wright
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D009048:Motor Skills; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D011214:Practice, Psychological; D012153:Retention, Psychology; D014163:Transfer, Psychology
keywords: Parkinson's disease; contextual interference; motor learning