Motor Control: Various Issues

Typical Motor Learning Experiment
Acquisition: Some form of KR manipulation is applied to a skill (different levels of KR for different groups of subjects)
Transfer Test: Determine the effects of the previous exposure to KR. The Transfer test has a constant level of KR (usually NO KR) for all groups of subjects

Learning versus Performance
Performance: Immediate or temporary effect of KR during training – seen when behavior improves during Acquisition with some form of KR
Learning: Relatively permanent effect (of training) – seen when behavior can be sustained without KR after training is completed

Calculating Distance
The next slide shows how to calculate the distance between two points in a coordinate system
It is based on the Pythagorean Theorem
You don’t need to know this, but you might be interested in how it is done

Images
The following slide shows a blown up version of the an individual session to better highlight the various feature of the display.
The next three slides show all the data for 3 subjects.
For all subjects, Variable Error clearly increases when the distracters are introduced in Session 6
Some subjects show clear examples of Constant Error (a consistent bias in one direction from session to session)

Blown Up