FW275 Motor Learning

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Chapter 5Motor Learning and Motor

Control


Introduction to Motor Learning and Motor Control “…..even in man the crown of life is an action,

not a thought….to move things is all that mankind can do, and that for such the sole executant is muscle, whether in whispering a syllable or in felling a forest.”

--Sir Charles S. Sherrington


Introduction to Motor Learning and Motor Control Motor Behavior

Motor control--focuses on the processes that underlie the production of movement in health and disease

Motor learning--focuses on how skilled movements are acquired, including the optimal conditions for learning new motor skills


A Brief History The Rise of Electrophysiology

Gustav Theodor Fritsch/Julius Eduard Hitzig Study of the brain’s electrophysiology

Sir Charles S. Sherrington 1932, Nobel Prize for his study of reflexes


A Brief History Early Contributions from Psychology

E.L. Thorndike Law of Effect--states that rewarded responses tend to

be repeated, while responses that are not rewarded tend not to be repeated

World War II How to select and train pilots, bombardiers, and

gunners Led to post-war research on motor learning and

optimal training methods


A Brief History Merging of Physiological and Psychological

Approaches Nikolai Bernstein

His work was influential in the merging of the two disciplines

Functional movement is the result of control that is distributed across many levels of the nervous system


Motor Learning and Motor Control Motor learning

Motor learning is a set of processes associated with practice or experience leading to relatively permanent changes in the capability for movement (Schmidt and Lee 2005)

A change in the capability for movement rather than in movement itself


Motor Learning and Motor Control Retention tests--estimating what was retained

from a previous test The processes that underlie learning are

associated with practice or experience Motor learning does not always require

physical practice or experience


Conditions for Optimal Learning The Law of Practice Massed vs. Distributed Practice Variable vs. Constant Practice Blocked vs. Random Practice Physical Guidance Brain Plasticity


Motor Learning

Conditions for Optimal Learning The Law of Practice

Maximizing the number of practice trials More practice leads to more learning

Massed vs. Distributed Practice How much time should be spent in practice vs. rest

during a practice session How should practice sessions be distributed

throughout the day Retention


Motor Learning Variable vs. Constant Practice

Variable Practicing the same skill under varying conditions

Constant Practicing the same skill under constant conditions

Blocked vs. Random Practice Blocked

Practicing one skill until you become proficient Random

Practicing many skills at one time


Motor Learning Physical Guidance

We learn better when we perform movements as much as possible under our own power

Brain plasticity The ability of the brain to show modification in

response to experience or injury


Motor Control Central Motor Representations and the Role

of Sensory Information Mott and Sherrington

Incorrect conclusion to their study They thought that sensor signals were absolutely

necessary to produce movement Sanes

When vision is removed, errors occur


Motor Control Sensory Signals and Motor Control

Postural Control Without sensory information, errors in force and

position accumulate Error Correction During Movement

Sensory information is used to correct small errors in movement as they evolve


Motor Control ‘Initial Condition’ Information

The same motor command will produce different results depending upon the starting position of the limb (Bernstein, 1967)

Claude Ghez Sensory information signals the progress of our

actions and can trigger the next phase of an action


Motor Control Stabilizing our body, or parts of our body,

against external forces and against forces from our own movement

Sensory-to-motor transformations Anticipatory postural control


Professional Organizations and Certifications The Society for Neuroscience (www.sfn.org) The International Brain Research

Organization (www.ibro.org) The North American Society for Psychology

of Sport and Physical Activity (www.naspspa.org)

The American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (AAPHERD; www.aahperd.org)

http://www.sfn.org/

http://www.ibro.org/

http://www.naspspa.org/

http://www.aahperd.org/


Careers Physical Therapy Occupational Therapy Speech-language Pathologist Athletic Training Orthotists/Prosthetists


Key Websites U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor

Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm

The Society for Neuroscience www.sfn.org The American Physical Therapy Association

www.apta.org The International Society for Motor Control

www.i-s-m-c.org

http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm

http://www.sfn.org/

http://www.apta.org/

http://www.i-s-m-c.org/


Key Journals Behavioral and Brain Sciences Ergonomics Experimental Brain Research The Journal of Applied Physiology The Journal of Motor Behavior Nature Neuroscience Perceptual and Motor Skills Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport

FW275 Motor Learning

Education

Transcript of FW275 Motor Learning