Lecture 0 – Introduction
Course manual
Changes in perceptual-motor skills take place immediately when practice starts, but also
unfold across days, weeks, and longer. Shift between cortico-cerebeallar to cortico-striatal
system with increased practice and learning (Lohse). The different approaches can be
distinguished in basis of the degree to which they appeal to (internal) representations
to explain perceptual-motor control and learning.
- Representational theories
Group of theories that hold that human behaviour (cognition, perception, and
action) involves a kind of mental gymnastics, that is, the construction,
manipulation and use of representations of the world. This has resulted in theories
that explain perceptual-motor learning in terms of changes that occur in the
representation (or programs) that underlie perception and action (van der Kamp).
o Motor programming accounts of skill learning -> Adams & Schmidt (HC1)
o Common coding approach -> Prinz (HC2)
o Neuropsychological approaches -> Willingham (HC3)
- Anti-representational theories
To understand perceptual-motor control and learning there is no need to call upon
(internal) representations. Rather, these theories focus on the (changing)
interaction between the organism and the environment.
o Ecological approach (HC4)
o Dynamical systems and non-linear pedagogy approach (HC5)
Lecture slides
Basic concepts
-> practice and automatization: a lot of practice is needed to reach automatization;
really large amount of time and investment is needed.
Practice curve: first large improvement, but this decreases over time. Modelled as a
power law: even if you’re really good, you can still become
better. However, this doesn’t match. As you can see, the
exponential change is negatively accelerated, it levels off -> at a certain point
you can’t become better. This curve merely exists of sudden jumps, is not a
smooth line. You can suddenly become a lot better for
instance.
, Three-stage model
Stage 1. Identifying what the task is;
information from coaches etc.
Cognitive stage: how to do something
Self-talk: verbally guide your own movements
Looking what you’re doing
Relatively quick improvements
Instable, variable performance
Clumsy movement: because you’re always thinking
consciously about the movement
Stage 2. Feeling how the movement should feel
Detect errors
Stage 3. No much further gains
Without thinking, no cognitive involvement
Attention for other things is possible
Stage 2 is often skipped.
Lohse et al. (2014) – Two motor learning systems
- Cortico-cerebellar: short time scale (<1 day)
- Cortico-striatal: long time scale (>1 day)
With practice, a shift occurs from cortico-cerebellar to cortico-striatal; it might be that
both work in parallel and only the relative contribution of the systems changes.
Retention and transfer: practice performance can be misleading as a measure for
learning. Consolidation: the process by which new knowledge is gradually transferred to
long-term memory (sleep). Learning refers to the relative permanent changes in
behaviour acquired through practice.
Representational theories (RT)
- RT aim to explain perception and action by internal psychological processes
- RT postulate mental representations (or programs or schemes) that connect
organism and environment
- RT holds that action and perception are represented in the mind or CNS
- RT takes learning as constructing new or refining existing representations
or programs
These theories believe that if we understand the internal processes, we can understand
behaviour.
Motor programs (representations of movement) are needed for action.
What happens outside the brain is less important.
Course manual
Changes in perceptual-motor skills take place immediately when practice starts, but also
unfold across days, weeks, and longer. Shift between cortico-cerebeallar to cortico-striatal
system with increased practice and learning (Lohse). The different approaches can be
distinguished in basis of the degree to which they appeal to (internal) representations
to explain perceptual-motor control and learning.
- Representational theories
Group of theories that hold that human behaviour (cognition, perception, and
action) involves a kind of mental gymnastics, that is, the construction,
manipulation and use of representations of the world. This has resulted in theories
that explain perceptual-motor learning in terms of changes that occur in the
representation (or programs) that underlie perception and action (van der Kamp).
o Motor programming accounts of skill learning -> Adams & Schmidt (HC1)
o Common coding approach -> Prinz (HC2)
o Neuropsychological approaches -> Willingham (HC3)
- Anti-representational theories
To understand perceptual-motor control and learning there is no need to call upon
(internal) representations. Rather, these theories focus on the (changing)
interaction between the organism and the environment.
o Ecological approach (HC4)
o Dynamical systems and non-linear pedagogy approach (HC5)
Lecture slides
Basic concepts
-> practice and automatization: a lot of practice is needed to reach automatization;
really large amount of time and investment is needed.
Practice curve: first large improvement, but this decreases over time. Modelled as a
power law: even if you’re really good, you can still become
better. However, this doesn’t match. As you can see, the
exponential change is negatively accelerated, it levels off -> at a certain point
you can’t become better. This curve merely exists of sudden jumps, is not a
smooth line. You can suddenly become a lot better for
instance.
, Three-stage model
Stage 1. Identifying what the task is;
information from coaches etc.
Cognitive stage: how to do something
Self-talk: verbally guide your own movements
Looking what you’re doing
Relatively quick improvements
Instable, variable performance
Clumsy movement: because you’re always thinking
consciously about the movement
Stage 2. Feeling how the movement should feel
Detect errors
Stage 3. No much further gains
Without thinking, no cognitive involvement
Attention for other things is possible
Stage 2 is often skipped.
Lohse et al. (2014) – Two motor learning systems
- Cortico-cerebellar: short time scale (<1 day)
- Cortico-striatal: long time scale (>1 day)
With practice, a shift occurs from cortico-cerebellar to cortico-striatal; it might be that
both work in parallel and only the relative contribution of the systems changes.
Retention and transfer: practice performance can be misleading as a measure for
learning. Consolidation: the process by which new knowledge is gradually transferred to
long-term memory (sleep). Learning refers to the relative permanent changes in
behaviour acquired through practice.
Representational theories (RT)
- RT aim to explain perception and action by internal psychological processes
- RT postulate mental representations (or programs or schemes) that connect
organism and environment
- RT holds that action and perception are represented in the mind or CNS
- RT takes learning as constructing new or refining existing representations
or programs
These theories believe that if we understand the internal processes, we can understand
behaviour.
Motor programs (representations of movement) are needed for action.
What happens outside the brain is less important.
