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Critical Reviews™ in Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine

Publicou 4 edições por ano

ISSN Imprimir: 0896-2960

ISSN On-line: 2162-6553

SJR: 0.141 SNIP: 0.129 CiteScore™:: 0.6 H-Index: 18

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Influence of Random and Blocked Practice Schedules on Motor Learning in Children Aged 6–12 Years

Volume 30, Edição 3, 2018, pp. 239-254
DOI: 10.1615/CritRevPhysRehabilMed.2018027737
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RESUMO

Contextual interference (CI) effect in motor learning refers to interference resulting from practicing a task within the context of other tasks in the same practice session. The present study investigated the effect of CI on motor learning in children aged 6–12 years old divided across three age groups on a multijoint, single-leg hopping task. Based on mixed findings in the literature on children it was hypothesized that there will be a differential effect of age on motor learning with performance of one practice schedule being better than the other. A total of 120 school children aged 6–12 years were divided into three age groups, that is, 6–8, 8–10, and 10–12 years, and were equally allocated to random and blocked practice groups by the lottery method. The task involved 72 practice trials of single-leg hopping in seven squares (15 × 15 inches) arranged in three fixed patterns, A, B, and C. A retention test was performed on the same patterns. The transfer test is a measure of adaptability to a learned task when performed in the context of a new situation. On the 7th day post acquisition all participants performed three trials of transfer test involving a complex pattern of 14 squares (12 × 12 inches). Time and errors were documented at acquisition, retention, and transfer testing. Statistical analysis was done using repeated measures ANOVA. Level of significance was set at p < 0.05. Both groups performed similarly at acquisition. The blocked group performed better than the random practice group in the retention and transfer tests in all three age groups, as children were not able to take advantage of high CI. Post hoc analysis demonstrated that although all three age groups performed better with the blocked practice schedule, the 8–10- and 10–12-year-olds performed more accurately. A random practice schedule increases the cognitive load as a result of inter-task and intra-task processing which is potentially overwhelming for children aged 6–12 years. Hence, children with a blocked practice schedule performed better.

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