Implicit Skills Research Articles

Are preservice teachers prepared to teach struggling readers?

Reading disabilities such as dyslexia, a specific learning disability that affects an individual's ability to process written language, are estimated to affect 15-20% of the general population. Consequently, elementary school teachers encounter students who struggle with inaccurate or slow reading, poor spelling, poor writing, and other language processing difficulties. However, recent evidence may suggest that teacher preparation programs are not providing preservice teachers with information about basic language constructs and other components related to scientifically based reading instruction. As a consequence preservice teachers have not exhibited explicit knowledge of such concepts in previous studies. Few studies have sought to assess preservice teachers' knowledge about dyslexia in conjunction with knowledge of basic language concepts. The purpose of the present study was to examine elementary school preservice teachers' knowledge of basic language constructs and their perceptions and knowledge about dyslexia. Findings from the present study suggest that preservice teachers, on average, are able to display implicit skills related to certain basic language constructs (i.e., syllable counting), but fail to demonstrate explicit knowledge of others (i.e., phonics principles). Also, preservice teachers seem to hold the common misconception that dyslexia is a visual perception deficit rather than a problem with phonological processing. Implications for future research as well as teacher preparation are discussed.

Learning in Autism: Implicitly Superb

BackgroundAlthough autistic people have shown impairments in various learning and memory tasks, recent studies have reported mixed findings concerning implicit learning in ASD. Implicit skill learning, with its unconscious and statistical properties, underlies not only motor but also cognitive and social skills, and it therefore plays an important role from infancy to old age.Methodology/Principal FindingsWe investigated probabilistic implicit sequence learning and its consolidation in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Three groups of children participated: thirteen with high-functioning ASD, 14 age-matched controls, and 13 IQ-matched controls. All were tested on the Alternating Serial Reaction Time Task (ASRT), making it possible to separate general skill learning from sequence-specific learning. The ASRT task was repeated after 16 hours. We found that control and ASD children showed similar sequence-specific and general skill learning in the learning phase. Consolidation of skill learning and sequence-specific learning were also intact in the ASD compared to the control groups.Conclusions/SignificanceThese results suggest that autistic children can use the effects/results of implicit learning not only for a short period, but also for a longer stretch of time. Using these findings, therapists can design more effective educational and rehabilitation programs.

What do we rely on: our hands or our eyes? - Perceptual and motor factors of implicit skill learning

Event Abstract Back to Event What do we rely on: our hands or our eyes? - Perceptual and motor factors of implicit skill learning Emese Hallgato1, Karolina Janacsek1, Tímea Sándor1, Zsuzsa Londe2 and Dezso Németh1* 1 University of Szeged, Institute of Psychology, Hungary 2 University of Southern California, American Language Institute, United States Implicit skill learning is crucial for adapting to the environment and to evaluate events; therefore represents an important aspect of life from infancy to old age. Implicit sequence learning has been investigated for decades, but there is no agreement about how this kind of learning relies on motor and perceptual factors, and what their proportions are. The goals of the present study were to determine whether motor or perceptual cues provide better prompts to sequence learning and to remove the possibility of oculomotor learning during the task. We used a modified version of the probabilistic ASRT (Alternating Serial Reaction Time) task, the AS-RT Race, which allowed the separation of motor and perceptual factors. Our results demonstrated that motor and perceptual factors influenced skill learning to a similar extent. Using the AS-RT Race task, more detailed studies can be conducted in cognitive neuroscience for various pathologies affecting implicit skill learning and the underlying mechanisms of motor and perceptual learning. Conference: IBRO International Workshop 2010, Pécs, Hungary, 21 Jan - 23 Jan, 2010. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Sensory and motor systems Citation: Hallgato E, Janacsek K, Sándor T, Londe Z and Németh D (2010). What do we rely on: our hands or our eyes? - Perceptual and motor factors of implicit skill learning. Front. Neurosci. Conference Abstract: IBRO International Workshop 2010. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnins.2010.10.00252 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 05 May 2010; Published Online: 05 May 2010. * Correspondence: Dezso Németh, University of Szeged, Institute of Psychology, Szeged, Hungary, nemethd@gmail.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Emese Hallgato Karolina Janacsek Tímea Sándor Zsuzsa Londe Dezso Németh Google Emese Hallgato Karolina Janacsek Tímea Sándor Zsuzsa Londe Dezso Németh Google Scholar Emese Hallgato Karolina Janacsek Tímea Sándor Zsuzsa Londe Dezso Németh PubMed Emese Hallgato Karolina Janacsek Tímea Sándor Zsuzsa Londe Dezso Németh Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Perceptual and motor factors of implicit skill learning

Implicit skill learning underlies not only motor but also cognitive and social skills, and represents an important aspect of life from infancy to old age. Earlier research examining this fundamental form of learning has shown that learning relies on motor and perceptual skills, along with the possible role of oculomotor learning. The goals of this study were to determine whether motor or perceptual cues provide better prompts to sequence learning and to remove the possibility of oculomotor learning during the task. We used a modified version of the probabilistic alternating serial reaction time task, which allowed the separation of motor and perceptual factors. Our results showed that motor and perceptual factors influenced skill learning to a similar extent.

The role of the putamen in cognitive functions — A case study

The role of the basal ganglia in cognition is still uncertain. This case study investigates the partial neuropsychological profile of a 20-year-old patient with a perinatal left putaminal lesion. This pathology is relatively rare and little is known of its cognitive effects. The focuses of our neuropsychological assessment were working memory, executive functions, analysis of spontaneous speech and implicit skill learning. The patient's executive functions did not attain the normal range, and working memory was also partially impaired. In addition, the temporal features of her speech revealed an increased pause/signal time ratio. Finally, in an implicit skill learning task, the patient showed general motor skill learning, but no sequence specific learning. Together these findings suggest that the frontal/subcortical circuit between the putamen and frontal motor areas plays a role in higher cognitive processing such as executive functions, working memory, as well as in first-order sequence learning.

Teamwork: A study of Australian and US student speech-language pathologists

In the discipline of speech-language pathology little is known about the explicit and implicit team skills taught within university curricula. This study surveyed 281 speech-language pathology students to determine a baseline of their perceived ability to participate in interprofessional teams. The students were enrolled in programs in Australia and the USA and were surveyed about their perceptions of their attitudes, knowledge and skills in teamwork. MANCOVA analysis for main effects of age, university program and clinical experience showed that age was not significant, negating the perception that life experiences improve perceived team skills. Clinical experience was significant in that students with more clinical experience rated themselves more highly on their team abilities. Post Hoc analysis revealed that Australian students rated themselves higher than their US counterparts on their knowledge about working on teams, but lower on attitudes to teams; all students perceived that they had the skills to work on teams. These results provide insight about teamwork training components in current speech-language pathology curricula. Implications are discussed with reference to enhancing university training programs.

Perceptual priming does not transfer interhemispherically in the acallosal brain

Acallosal participants usually do not display any disconnection signs in tasks requiring an explicit or declarative type of response. They can accurately compare stimuli placed in each hand and they perform normally on lateralized recognition tasks. They, however, show impairment in tasks assessing interdependent motor control, bilateral coordination and they are also unable to intermanually transfer an implicit procedural motor skill. These deficits suggest that compensation might be limited when a motor component is involved. Alternately, it is also possible that interhemispheric transmission in callosal agenesis might be limited when implicit or unconscious processes are involved (Berlucchi et al. in Neuropsychologia 33:923-936, 1995; De Guise et al. in Brain 122:1049-1062, 1999). The aim of the present study was to assess interhemispheric transfer in two distinct nondeclarative tasks, namely visuoperceptual skill learning and perceptual priming, with a lateralized version of the fragmented picture task developed by Snodgrass et al. (Behav Res Methods Inst Comp 19:270-274, 1987) that did not involve any motor component. The performance of five acallosal and one early-callosotomized individuals was compared to that of control participants divided into four groups (n = 10) according to which hemisphere was trained (left or right) and which response mode was used (manual or verbal). Visuoperceptual skill learning was observed in all control groups except for the group submitted to training of the left hemisphere in the manual modality of response. The acallosal and early-callosotomized participants did not show any implicit learning of the visuoperceptual skill on any of the conditions. The evaluation of the perceptual priming effect in the second part of the testing revealed that the priming effect was restricted to the trained hemisphere in participants without corpus callosum, as opposed to all neurogically intact participants who presented interhemispheric transfer of the priming effect. These findings indicate that the compensatory pathways, most probably subcortical commissures, are insufficient to allow interhemispheric transfer of perceptual priming, confirming the limits of neural plasticity in the absence of the corpus callosum. They also support the dissociation between declarative and nondeclarative memory in the split-brain and acallosal participants suggested by Berlucchi et al. (1995) and observed by De Guise et al. (Brain 122:1049-1062, 1999). These results are further discussed within the context of neurobiological theories of memory systems.

Sleep Enhances Implicit Motor Skill Learning in Individuals Poststroke

Background: Although sleep has been demonstrated to be critical for learning and the consolidation of memories in neurologically intact individuals, the importance of sleep for learning in neuropathological populations remains unknown. Method: To assess the influence of sleep on implicit motor skill learning and memory consolidation post stroke, 18 individuals with stroke and 18 neurologically intact age-matched individuals were assigned to either the sleep group (slept between practice of a continuous tracking task and retention testing) or the no-sleep group (stayed awake between practice and retention testing). Results: Only the individuals post stroke who slept between practice and retention testing demonstrated implicit motor learning at retention. The individuals with stroke who did not sleep and both the agematched control groups (sleep and no-sleep) failed to demonstrate learning. These findings provide evidence that after stroke individuals can enhance implicit motor skill learning and motor memory consolidation by sleeping between practice and retention tests. Conclusion: These data suggest that ensuring adequate sleep between rehabilitation therapy sessions and normalizing sleep cycles following stroke may be important variables that can positively influence implicit motor learning after stroke-related brain damage.

The interaction of implicit learning, explicit hypothesis testing learning and implicit-to-explicit knowledge extraction

To further explore the interaction between the implicit and explicit learning processes in skill acquisition (which have been tackled before, e.g. in [Sun, R., Merrill, E., & Peterson, T. (2001). From implicit skill to explicit knowledge: A bottom-up model of skill learning. Cognitive Science, 25(2), 203-244; Sun, R., Slusarz, P., & Terry, C. (2005). The interaction of the explicit and the implicit in skill learning: A dual-process approach. Psychological Review, 112(1), 159-192]), this paper explores details of the interaction of different learning modes: implicit learning, explicit hypothesis testing learning, and implicit-to-explicit knowledge extraction. Contrary to the common tendency in the literature to study each type of learning in isolation, this paper highlights the interaction among them and various effects of the interaction on learning, including the synergy effect. This work advocates an integrated model of skill learning that takes into account both implicit and explicit learning processes; moreover, it also uniquely embodies a bottom-up (implicit-to-explicit) learning approach in addition to other types of learning. The paper shows that this model accounts for various effects in the human behavioural data from the psychological experiments with the process control task, in addition to accounting for other data in other psychological experiments (which has been reported elsewhere). The paper shows that to account for these effects, implicit learning, bottom-up implicit-to-explicit extraction and explicit hypothesis testing learning are all needed.

Tacit knowledge as the unifying factor in evidence based medicine and clinical judgement

The paper outlines the role that tacit knowledge plays in what might seem to be an area of knowledge that can be made fully explicit or codified and which forms a central element of Evidence Based Medicine. Appeal to the role the role of tacit knowledge in science provides a way to unify the tripartite definition of Evidence Based Medicine given by Sackett et al: the integration of best research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values. Each of these three elements, crucially including research evidence, rests on an ineliminable and irreducible notion of uncodified good judgement.The paper focuses on research evidence, drawing first on the work of Kuhn to suggest that tacit knowledge contributes, as a matter of fact, to puzzle solving within what he calls normal science. A stronger argument that it must play a role in research is first motivated by looking to Collins' first hand account of replication in applied physics and then broader considerations of replication in justifying knowledge claims in scientific research. Finally, consideration of an argument from Wittgenstein shows that whatever explicit guidelines can be drawn up to guide judgement the specification of what counts as correctly following them has to remain implicit.Overall, the paper sets out arguments for the claim that even though explicit guidelines and codifications can play a practical role in informing clinical practice, they rest on a body of tacit or implicit skill that is in principle ineliminable. It forms the bedrock of good judgement and unites the integration of research, expertise and values.

Personal and interpersonal skills

PurposeThe definition of individual generic skills is problematic, despite the pressure for the development of such skills during accounting degrees coming from government and employers. This study aims to present definitions to allow academics to establish a point of reference when designing accounting curricula to encompass such skills.Design/methodology/approachThe skill classification of explicit curriculum content is straightforward, and is undertaken by using content analysis to record objectives and/or tasks that are clearly stated in the curriculum documents. The classification of implicit skills was developed by setting, as clearly as possible, internal criteria that are used to determine whether a task embodied a particular behavioural skill.FindingsThe results show that not all 22 personal and interpersonal skills which should be developed during an accounting degree, according to the Australian professional accounting bodies, are in fact developed. The higher order and difficult skills of: think creatively and innovatively; handle conflict; handle challenges; handle change and empathy are not present in either the explicit or implicit curricula.Originality/valueConcepts and understandings of many of the behavioural skills are abstract and a range of interpretations exists. Although the definition of each skill presented in this study is not as extensive or exhaustive as a lexicographer's compilation, this study is unique in that it offers clearer and more acceptable definitions for accounting educators to use than has previously been available.

Working memory and acquisition of implicit knowledge by imagery training, without actual task performance

This study investigated acquisition of a mirror-reading skill via imagery training, without the actual performance of a mirror-reading task. In experiment I, healthy volunteers simulated writing on an imaginary, transparent screen placed at eye level, which could be read by an experimenter facing the subject. Performance of this irrelevant motor task required the subject to imagine the letters inverted, as if seen in a mirror from their own point of view (imagery training). A second group performed the same imagery training interspersed with a complex, secondary spelling and counting task. A third, control, group simply wrote the words as they would normally appear from their own point of view. After training with 300 words, all subjects were tested in a mirror-reading task using 60 non-words, constructed according to acceptable letter combinations of the Portuguese language. Compared with control subjects, those exposed to imagery training, including those who switched between imagery and the complex task, exhibited shorter reading times in the mirror-reading task. Experiment II employed a 2×3 design, including two training conditions (imagery and actual mirror-reading) and three competing task conditions (a spelling and counting switching task, a visual working memory concurrent task, and no concurrent task). Training sessions were interspersed with mirror-reading testing sessions for non-words, allowing evaluation of the mirror-reading acquisition process during training. The subjects exposed to imagery training acquired the mirror-reading skill as quickly as those exposed to the actual mirror-reading task. Further, performance of concurrent tasks together with actual mirror-reading training severely disrupted mirror-reading skill acquisition; this interference effect was not seen in subjects exposed to imagery training and performance of the switching and the concurrent tasks. These results unequivocally show that acquisition of implicit skills by top-down imagery training is at least as efficient as bottom-up acquisition.

Role of the cerebellum in implicit motor skill learning: a pet study

Role of the cerebellum in implicit motor skill learning: a pet study

Awareness Modifies the Skill-Learning Benefits of Sleep

Behind every skilled movement lies months of practice. However, practice alone is not responsible for the acquisition of all skill; performance can improve between, not just within, practice sessions. An important principle shaping these offline improvements may be an individual's awareness of learning a new skill. New skills, such as a sequence of finger movements, can be learned unintentionally (with little awareness for the sequence, implicit learning) or intentionally (explicit learning). We measured skill in an implicit and explicit sequence-learning task before and after a 12 hr interval. This interval either did (8 p.m. to 8 a.m.) or did not (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.) include a period of sleep. Following explicit sequence learning, offline skill improvements were only observed when the 12 hr interval included sleep. This overnight improvement was correlated with the amount of NREM sleep. The same improvement could also be observed in the evening (with an interval from 8 p.m. to 8 p.m.), so it was not coupled to retesting at a particular time of day and cannot therefore be attributed to circadian factors. In contrast, in the implicit learning task, offline learning was observed regardless of whether the 12 hr interval did or did not contain a period of sleep. However, these improvements were not observed with only a 15 min interval between sessions. Therefore, the practice available within each session cannot account for these skill improvements. Instead, sufficient time is necessary for offline learning to occur. These results show a behavioral dissociation, based upon an individual's awareness for having learned a sequence of finger movements. Offline learning is sleep dependent for explicit skills but time dependent for implicit skills.

From implicit skills to explicit knowledge: a bottom-up model of skill learning

This paper presents a skill learning model Clarion. Different from existing models of mostly high-level skill learning that use a top-down approach (that is, turning declarative knowledge into procedural knowledge through practice), we adopt a bottom-up approach toward low-level skill learning, where procedural knowledge develops first and declarative knowledge develops later. Our model is formed by integrating connectionist, reinforcement, and symbolic learning methods to perform on-line reactive learning. It adopts a two-level dual-representation framework (Sun, 1995), with a combination of localist and distributed representation. We compare the model with human data in a minefield navigation task, demonstrating some match between the model and human data in several respects.

From implicit skills to explicit knowledge: a bottom‐up model of skill learning

AbstractThis paper presents a skill learning model CLARION. Different from existing models of mostly high‐level skill learning that use a top‐down approach (that is, turning declarative knowledge into procedural knowledge through practice), we adopt a bottom‐up approach toward low‐level skill learning, where procedural knowledge develops first and declarative knowledge develops later. Our model is formed by integrating connectionist, reinforcement, and symbolic learning methods to perform on‐line reactive learning. It adopts a two‐level dual‐representation framework (Sun, 1995), with a combination of localist and distributed representation. We compare the model with human data in a minefield navigation task, demonstrating some match between the model and human data in several respects.

Sites for Power and Knowledge? Towards a critique of the virtual university

Traditional discourses emanated from sites where agents of knowledge received their professional formation. Postmodernists suggest that the principle that the acquisition of knowledge is indissociable from personal formation is becoming obsolete and that the nature of knowledge cannot survive the information technology revolution unchanged. We examine these propositions with reference to a qualitative study of university staff who were developing and using World Wide Web (WWW) courses. The interview material supports the view that the WWW exemplifies a weakening of the framing of knowledge, has an elective affinity with the individual indulgence of postmodernism and is not effectively controlled through the community of science. Yet the WWW is parasitic on the project of modernism. Its user-friendly surface conceals extreme underlying complexity. The project of reducing professional training to the telematic transmission of an organised stock of knowledge is shown to be ultimately incoherent because it ignores the crucial need for implicit understanding and skill.

Implicit skills in 'housework' tasks

Implicit skills in 'housework' tasks

An exploration of implicit and explicit learning and skill level in complex dynamic systems

This paper examines the effect that mode of learning and level of skill have on performance of complex tasks. Research on the control of complex, dynamic systems has identified two modes of learning; explicit learning, which occurs under conscious awareness and implicit learning. which has been described as the acquiring of abstract complex knowledge in a relatively non-conscious manner (Reber. 1967). Skill level was manipulated at three levels: no prior training, two training trials and five training trials. Explicit learning was induced using the “think aloud” technique. Subjects learning implicitly were required to perform a secondary verbal task designed to occupy abstract working memory and to prevent explicit learning. Significant differences in skill levels were found in relation to task performance, ability to verbalise performance strategies and the number of errors made. Significant differences in modes of learning were not found on any of these dimensions. This study suggests that despite its a...

Writing Blocks and Tacit Knowledge

regimen has a similar application. It means putting writers on a schedule while easing them away from distractions and interruptions. It means teaching the ability to produce writing in substantial amounts, regardless of mood. And, it includes lessons about the value of working with balance and moderation |107~. After all, most productive writers in academe limit their writing to but a few hours a day, to little more than they invest in collegiality |38, 69~. Why does regimen need balance? Skinner, though an advocate of regimen, saw its limitation |123~. When we force writing, he warned, we can reinstate the very conditions that blocked In this article I deal with two kinds of writing blocks. One occurs when we cannot write in fluent, timely fashion. This first sort of block is a familiar pressure for many of us (and for our students). The second kind of writing block refers to the paradoxical reluctance evidenced by academicians who could but do not offer help to stymied colleagues or students as writers. The causes of writing blocks are multiple. In the following pages I will review a variety of hindrances to writing fluently, among them perfectionism and procrastination. Overall, though, I focus on the quandary of why we leave the tacit knowledge of writing fluency generally untaught. To accomplish this, I address three related considerations: first, I consider why writing blocks are costly yet neglected; second, I assemble the scattered literature on writing blocks, much of it more interesting than convincing; and third, I draw lessons from that literature and from related knowledge about agoraphobic and dieting failures that could help with all kinds of blocks. In the end, blocking and unblocking may tell us something about why education and its close kin, therapy, often fail. The First Consideration: Why We Overlook Blocking As we proceed, one thing will be most apparent: we have, for the most part, overlooked blocking. But we cannot blame our neglect of blocking on a complete lack of prior interest. Long before Freud |59~ warned about the watchers at the gates of our consciousness, therapists and educators speculated about writing blocks. Blocking has found the most currency among psychoanalysts, usually as a label for the inhibition of affect that stifles the discharge of emotions |76~. Writing about blocking also persists in self-help books where creative blocks are tied to nonplayful and rule-bound styles of working |1, 137~. We know more about a converse of blocking, productivity; information continues to accumulate about the general correlates of faculty outputs, such as the age at which doctorates were obtained |9, 38, 53~. Nor can we excuse our neglect of blocking on a lack of personal relevance. Nothing in academe and in related arenas comes close to the penalties for silence |38~; without writing, academicians rarely maximize career rewards |25~. Moreover, writing blocks may play another, generally unappreciated role in shaping our profession. Estimates of graduate students who qualify to write dissertations but never finish them run as high as 50 percent |127~. Rates of disappointment for academicians who survive dissertations and assume professorial careers may be even higher; individuals who want and need to do substantial scholarly writing but do not write comprise some 50-85 percent of faculty |122~. The costs of so many potential writers remaining more or less blocked go beyond anonymity and exclusion; people who are not heard may stop listening |141~. If the neglect of writing blocks lies neither in a lack of prior interest nor in personal relevance, where then? The explanation I favor is that writing fluency is a kind of practical intelligence whose basics remain traditionally untaught. The tacit knowledge of writing fluently is much like that of becoming proficient in other implicit skills essential to thriving in academe; they are often learned incidentally or poorly, if at all |129~. …