Abstract
We introduced haptic cues to the serial reaction time (SRT) sequence learning task alongside the standard visual cues to assess the relative contributions of visual and haptic stimuli to the formation of motor and perceptual memories. We used motorized keys to deliver brief pulse-like displacements to the resting fingers, expecting that the proximity and similarity of these cues to the subsequent response motor actions (finger-activated key-presses) would strengthen the motor memory trace in particular. We adopted the experimental protocol developed by Willingham (1999) to explore whether haptic cues contribute differently than visual cues to the balance of motor and perceptual learning. We found that sequence learning occurs with haptic stimuli as well as with visual stimuli and we found that irrespective of the stimuli (visual or haptic) the SRT task leads to a greater amount of motor learning than perceptual learning.
Highlights
Motor learning, especially in its latter phases, often takes place without dedicated attention and without awareness for either the process or the content of what is learned. Fitts and Posner (1967) called this phase of motor learning autonomous
Notable drops in reaction times (RTs) occurred at the transition from the training phase to the transfer phase, which could be expected since the compatible mapping is easier than the incompatible mapping
As expected, decreases in RT appeared at sequence block 13, because participants benefited from knowledge of the sequence acquired during the training phase
Summary
Especially in its latter phases, often takes place without dedicated attention and without awareness for either the process or the content of what is learned. Fitts and Posner (1967) called this phase of motor learning autonomous. Especially in its latter phases, often takes place without dedicated attention and without awareness for either the process or the content of what is learned. Implicit learning describes not just motor but any type of learning, and is characterized by a lack of awareness for the process or the content of what is learned (Cleeremans, 1993; Reber, 1993). Implicit learning is often studied using the serial reaction time (SRT) task, which was introduced by Nissen and Bullemer (1987). In the SRT task, participants respond to stimuli presented in one of four locations by pressing a corresponding key. When a repeating sequence of stimuli structured according to certain rules is presented unbeknownst to participants, reaction times (RTs) and error rates decrease with practice. Participants are often unaware of the existence of the structure and are unable to express the sequence, implying that learning occurred implicitly (Willingham et al, 1989)
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