Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine if high and low activity individuals differed in terms of the effects of self-controlled feedback on the performance and learning of a movement skill. The task consisted of a blindfolded beanbag toss using the non-preferred arm. Participants were pre-screened according to their physical activity level using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. An equal number of high activity (HA) and low activity (LA) participants were assigned to self-control (SC) and yoked (YK) feedback conditions, creating four groups: Self-Control-High Activity; Self-Control-Low Activity; Yoked-High Activity; and Yoked-Low Activity. SC condition participants were provided feedback whenever they requested it, while YK condition participants received feedback according to a schedule created by their SC counterpart. Results indicated that the SC condition was more accurate than the YK condition during acquisition and transfer phases, and the HA condition was more accurate than the LA condition during all phases of the experiment. A post-training questionnaire indicated that participants in the SC condition asked for feedback mostly after what they perceived to be “good” trials; those in the YK condition indicated that they would have preferred to receive feedback after “good” trials. This study provided further support for the advantages of self-controlled feedback when learning motor skills, additionally showing benefits for both active and less active individuals. The results suggested that the provision of self-controlled feedback to less active learners may be a potential avenue to teaching motor skills necessary to engage in greater amounts of physical activity.
Highlights
Recent research has indicated that giving learners control over some aspect of an instructional protocol facilitates motor learning when compared to protocols that are completely prescribed by the researcher
For the SC condition, the majority of participants indicated that they requested feedback mostly after what they believed to be a “good” trial (n = 14) while none indicated asking for feedback after “bad” trials
Self-controlled feedback benefits have been shown for learning a variety of motor skills (e.g., Janelle et al, 1995, 1997; Chen et al, 2002; Chiviacowsky and Wulf, 2002), but are thought to operate in part through mechanisms related to www.frontiersin.org individual differences (Chiviacowsky and Wulf, 2002)
Summary
Recent research has indicated that giving learners control over some aspect of an instructional protocol facilitates motor learning when compared to protocols that are completely prescribed by the researcher (for a review, see Wulf, 2007). Even allowing participants to control the total number of practice trials they complete has been shown to enhance learning (Post et al, 2011). Chiviacowsky and Wulf (2002) reported that participants’ preference for feedback was linked to their perceived success on a trial. Participants in the SC condition indicated that they requested feedback after so-called “good” trials (i.e., those trials that they perceived to be successful). Participants in the yoked (YK) condition indicated they would have preferred to receive feedback after “good” trials. Chiviacowsky and Wulf (2007) provided additional support for the benefit of receiving feedback after “good” trials by demonstrating enhanced learning when knowledge of results (KR) was provided for the most accurate trials in a block compared to when it was provided for the least accurate trials The results indicated that self-after condition was more accurate than the self-before condition during a transfer test. Chiviacowsky and Wulf (2007) provided additional support for the benefit of receiving feedback after “good” trials by demonstrating enhanced learning when knowledge of results (KR) was provided for the most accurate trials in a block compared to when it was provided for the least accurate trials
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