THE EFFECTS OF AN INTERFERING TASK ON THE LEARNING OF A COMPLEX MOTOR SKILL.
Abstract
An experiment is reported which deals with the effects of introducing an interfering task at various stages during the learning of a motor skill. The motor skill used was the Complex Coordination Test, which requires the subject to make alignments of three sets of red and green lights by movement of a stick and rudder which resemble the controls of an airplane. The interfering Task consisted of appropriate forward and backward movements of a gear shift arrangement at the subject's left in response to the appearance of a red or green light on the extreme left side of the Complex Coordinator panel. The experiment involved six groups of 22 college men, matched as to the time required to make the first eight Complex Coordinator settings. The learning was divided into six stages of 26 trials each, and the Interfering Task was introduced at different stages for the different groups. One group had the Interfering Task from Stage 1 onward, another from Stage 2 onward, etc. The performance of the Complex Coordination Task with and without the Interfering Task was measured in terms of the time required for making 26 settings at each learning stage. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 12, 1949
- Accession Number
- AD0657460
Entities
People
- Katherin E. Baker
- Robert M. Gagne
- Ruth C. Wylie
Organizations
- Connecticut College