Do Cognitive Factors in Motor Performance Become Nonfunctional with Practice?

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Cognitive factors in motor behavior were defined as verbal and imagery mediators for a discrete, sequential motor task. The question was asked whether these mediators become nonfunctional with extended practice. Non-motor interference training was given in inappropriate verbal and imagery mediation. If cognitive factors in the motor task involve verbal and/or imagery dimensions, and they dominate early in learning, then the nonmotor interference training should produce relatively large negative transfer effects in motor performance early in learning and little or no such effects late in learning. The results did not conform to expectation; small negative transfer effects were found both early and late in learning. The discussion considered several possible reasons for the outcome: the motor task was dominated by visual and proprioception factors rather than cognitive ones, the method of delivering knowledge of results may have minimized cognitive factors, or the hypothesis is wrong.

This publication has 13 references indexed in Scilit: