Effects of Presentation- and Test-Trial Training on Motor Acquisition and Retention
Abstract
This report examined the relative effects of three different training methods on the acquisition and retention of a positioning motor task. Three independent groups of subjects (N = 15 per group) performed three training trial cycles consisting of six trials each. Training methods differed in their emphasis on presentation (k) and test (t) trials during each cycle. For one group, a cycle consisted of three p- and t-trials administered in alternation. For another group, the first five trials of each cycle were p-trials and the sixth was a t-trial. For the last group, the first trial was p-trial and the next five were t-trials. Group acquisition performance was compared at the last trial of each cycle while retention was compared 3 min. and 24 hr. after acquisition. Absolute error scores indicated that acquisition and short-term retention were best when training emphasized p- and t-trail alternation and p- trial repetition within cycles, whereas long-term retention was best when training stressed t-trial repetition. Results suggest that testing is an effective way to enhance long-term retention of motor skill. This enhancement could be realized by changing the emphasis of training from presentation to testing without added expenditures in training time, money and personnel. If, instead of long-term retention, the goal is rapid acquisition and short-term retention, training methods which emphasize either alternation of presentation and testing or repeated presentation would be most effective.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1980
- Accession Number
- ADA086406
Entities
People
- Joseph D. Hagman
Organizations
- U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences