“The effect of variable practice” on motor performance in school children and college students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine how the effect of variable practice had influence on motor performance in school children and college students, by using a grading task of a standing broad jump.Subjects of the constant condition practiced a jump of the 2/6 maximum jumping distance 60 times in the acquisition phase. Subjects of the random condition practiced a jump of the 1/6, 2/6, and 4/6 maximum jumping distance 60 times in random order in the acquisition phase. In the transfer phase, on the other hand, subjects of both conditions practiced a jump of the 3/6 maximum jumping distance 10 times Samples were 60 females and 60 males consisting of 20 members of three age groups; 9 and 12 years old children and college students (ages 19-23). Each age group was divided into two condition groups.Though the constant group outperformed the random group in the acquisition phase, the random group outperformed the constant group in the transfer phase. Children were more effective for performance than college students in the transfer phase. And female college students were more effective for performance than male college students in the transfer phase.