Pursuit Tracking Skill with Separate and Combined Visual and Auditory Feedback

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Abstract
This investigation was concerned with the learning of a pursuit tracking skill under 3 experimental conditions, all with a narrow circular track for stylus guidance: visual feedback (V), auditory feedback (A), and visual plus auditory feedback (V+A). A Control Condition V was run on the standard USAF Rotary Pursuit turntable (n = 100 Ss). Groups of 4 Ss were given preliminary training under Condition V for a block of 5 30-sec. trials (20 sec. work, 10 sec. rest). All Ss then received 25 trials each under the 3 conditions, a total of 80 trials., (n = 84 Ss). In Exp. 1 36 Ss were run in 3 counterbalanced condition orders; in Exp. 2 48 Ss were run in all 6 permutations. Results: (1) visual feedback was significantly superior to auditory feedback, (2) response guidance (narrow track) was highly effective as compared with the standard (no-track) turntable, (3) men were significantly more proficient than women in Conditions V and V+A, (4) Condition V+A was only slightly superior to Condition V, (5) auditory feedback while tracking blind was not relevant to the acquisition of pursuit skill under these conditions, (6) all differences were attributed to performance rather than to learning variables.

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