Motor Learning and the Interactions Between Working Memory and Practice Schedule

Abstract

The benefits of less repetitive practice schedules on motor learning are usually described in terms of greater demand for memory processes. The present study aimed to investigate the interactions between working memory and practice schedule and their effects on motor learning. Forty female participants had their WMC evaluated by the N-back test and were randomly allocated to either the variable random (VP) or the constant practice (CP) groups. In the acquisition phase, participants practiced 120 trials of a sequential key-pressing task with two goals: learning the relative and the absolute timing. Delayed retention and transfer tests occurred 24 h after the acquisition phase. Participants performed 12 trials of the motor task. Results showed that in the CP, learners with a high level of WMC presented better motor performance in the transfer test than learners with a low level of WMC. In the RP, no difference between WMC levels was found. Learners with a high level of WMC in the CP presented the same motor performance as learners in the RP regardless of the WMC level in the transfer test. In conclusion, learners with a high WMC could compensate for the poor working memory stimulation of a more repetitive practice schedule. The high WMC did not seem to exert an additional benefit when learners were well stimulated by a less repetitive practice schedule.