title: Children and Adults Both Learn Motor Sequences Quickly, But Do So Differently.
abstract: Both children and adults can learn motor sequences quickly in one learning session, yet little is known about potential age-related processes that underlie this fast sequence acquisition. Here, we examined the progressive performance changes in a one-session modified serial reaction time task in 6- and 10-year-old children and adults. We found that rapid sequence learning, as reflected by reaction time (RT), was comparable between groups. The learning was expressed through two behavioral processes: online progressive changes in RT while the task was performed in a continuous manner and oﬄine changes in RT that emerged following a short rest. These oﬄine and online RT changes were age-related; learning in 6-year-olds was primarily reflected through the oﬄine process. In contrast, learning in adults was reflected through the online process; and both online and oﬄine processes occurred concurrently in 10-year-olds. Our results suggest that early rapid sequence learning has a developmental profile. Although the unifying mechanism underlying these two age-related processes is unclear, we discuss possible explanations that need to be systematically elucidated in future studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park MD, USA.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Education, Physical Therapy and Dance, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors.forename: Nadia C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Valentini
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, Kyung Hee UniversitySuwon, South Korea; Department of Physical Education, Seoul National UniversitySeoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Min J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, BaltimoreBaltimore, MD, USA; Faculty of Health Sciences, University of SouthamptonSouthampton, UK.
authors.forename: Jill
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Whitall
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, University of Maryland, College Park, College ParkMD, USA; Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College ParkCollege Park, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Jane E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Clark
keywords: age-related; declarative sequence knowledge; fast sequence learning; fatigue; implicit sequence learning; online process; oﬄine process; task pacing