The authors describe the effects of practice conditions in motor learning (e.g., contextual interference, knowledge of results) within the constraints of 2 experimental variables: skill level and task difficulty. They use a research framework to conceptualize the interaction of those variables on the basis of concepts from information theory and information processing. The fundamental idea is that motor tasks represent different challenges for performers of different abilities. The authors propose that learning is related to the information arising from performance, which should be optimized along functions relating the difficulty of the task to the skill level of the performer. Specific testable hypotheses arising from the framework are also described.

Challenge Point: A Framework for Conceptualizing the Effects of Various Practice Conditions in Motor Learning

We review research related to the learning of complex motor skills with respect to principles developed on the basis of simple skill learning. Although some factors seem to have opposite effects on the learning of simple and of complex skills, other factors appear to be relevant mainly for the learning of more complex skills. We interpret these apparently contradictory findings as suggesting that situations with low processing demands benefit from practice conditions that increase the load and challenge the performer, whereas practice conditions that result in extremely high load should benefit from conditions that reduce the load to more manageable levels. The findings reviewed here call into question the generalizability of results from studies using simple laboratory tasks to the learning of complex motor skills. They also demonstrate the need to use more complex skills in motor-learning research in order to gain further insights into the learning process.

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Principles derived from the study of simple skills do not generalize to complex skill learning.

A review of the contextual interference effect in motor skill acquisition

Background
The physical impacts of elite sport participation have been well documented; however, there is comparatively less research on the mental health and psychological wellbeing of elite athletes.

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The Mental Health of Elite Athletes: A Narrative Systematic Review

Trois experiences tentent d'expliquer le paradoxe selon lequel les essais d'entrainement presentes dans un ordre aleatoire durant l'acquisition d'une habilete motrice sont nuisibles a la performance d'entrainement mais favorables a la performance de retention

/pdf/the-locus-of-contextual-interference-in-motor-skill-4w9guvpl70.pdf

The locus of contextual interference in motor skill acquisition

The acquisition and transfer effects of contextual interference (Battig, 1979) were investigated on a coincidence anticipation task. The experimental task required subjects to make predictive judgements so that their responses coincided with the arrival of a light stimulus. Sixty females were selected from an activity questionnaire determining the extent of experience in similar tasks. One half were selected reporting no experience, and the remaining subjects had prior and present involvement in tasks requiring predictive judgements. Battig's (1979) conceptualization of memory was supported for experienced subjects in one transfer task. Experienced subjects who processed the acquisition tasks in high contextual interference (random order of presentation) performed significantly better than novice subjects in the same acquisition context. In addition, acquisition under a random sequence facilitated transfer to a novel task for experienced subjects as compared to acquisition under a constant order ...

The Effects of Contextual Interference on Females With Varied Experience in Open Sport Skills

Strong Women: Deep Closets

The Stronger Women Get, the More Men Love Football. Sexism and the American Culture of Sports

This study was planned to pursue the effects of experience and contextual interference found earlier for a coincident-timing task. Male varsity football athletes and men with minimal experience in these tasks were selected as subjects. Battig's views of contextual interference were supported but no effects of experience level were found.

Contextual Interference and Experience in Acquisition and Transfer

Effects of contextual interference on memory and transfer were investigated using tasks of coincident anticipation in which subjects had to predict the arrival time of a light stimulus. Female spor...

Emily H. Wughalter

Papers

The Effects of Contextual Interference on Females With Varied Experience in Open Sport Skills

Strong Women: Deep Closets

The Stronger Women Get, the More Men Love Football. Sexism and the American Culture of Sports

Contextual Interference and Experience in Acquisition and Transfer

Level of Expertise, Interpolated Activity and Contextual Interference Effects on Memory and Transfer: