Abstract
Observation of an expert or novice model promotes the learning of a motor skill. In two experiments, we determined the effects of a mixed observation schedule (a combination of expert and novice models) on the learning of a sequential timing task. In Experiment 1, participants observed a novice, expert, or both novice and expert models. The results of retention/transfer tests revealed that all observation groups and a physical practice group learned the task and outperformed a control group. However, observing a novice model was not as effective as observing expert and mixed models. Importantly, a mixed schedule of novice and expert observation resulted in a more stable movement time and better generalization of the imposed relative timing pattern than observation of either a novice or expert model alone. In Experiment 2, we aimed to determine whether a certain type of novice performance (highly variable, with or without error reduction with practice) in a mixed observation schedule would improved motor learning. The observation groups performed as well as a physical practice group and significantly better than a control group. No significant difference was observed with the type of novice model used in a mixed schedule of observation. The results suggest that mixed observation provides an accurate template of the movement (expert observation) that is enhanced when contrasted with the performance of less successful models.
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Notes
Depending on task difficulty and the number of practice trials performed, it could be argued that observation of a novice model provides information relative to a novice performance in the early stages of training and a near expert performance at the end of the model’s training session.
For all dependent variables, we also computed additional analyses in which the performance of the different groups was contrasted independently between (a) the pre-test and immediate retention test and (b) the 10-min and the 24-h retention tests. In addition, in the analyses contrasting the 10-min and the 24-h retention tests, the control group was included or was not included in independent sets of analyses. The results of all of these analyses did not significantly change the findings reported in the main text. Therefore, we opted to present the data using the more economical format.
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Rohbanfard, H., Proteau, L. Learning through observation: a combination of expert and novice models favors learning. Exp Brain Res 215, 183–197 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-011-2882-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-011-2882-x