Juggling Motor Skill
Introduction
To better understand learning, the research and experimentation was conducted by a student. The purpose of this study was to examine a novice learner performing a skill, in which improvement, retention, consistency, adaptability and stages of learning would be tested. The individual chose juggling three beanbags for the skill to be learned. The subject had to learn how to juggle three beanbags at once using both hands. Practice was completed in one way to keep consistency; this included throwing small beanbags standing up in the same room. Hypothesis of the experimenter suggested greatest improvement of skill in the beginning to middle of testing. Learning would be accomplished. An increase in practice time and intensity would need to occur for additional improvement.
Putting learning into perspective, “Fitts and Posner Theory” will help explain three basic stages of learning; verbal-cognitive, motor-associative, and autonomous. Verbal-cognitive is the earliest stage of learning. Characteristics of the novice stage include: high concentration during movement, fatigue which reduces degrees of freedom and performance, the learner needs feedback and correction, and verbal cues are often necessary for learning. The second stage of learning, motor-associative, is where performance is most improved. Characteristics of this stage include: feedback is acknowledged, but cannot be physically corrected, fundamental movements are established, degrees of freedom are increased, and diversification of skill is completed to improve learning. The last stage of learning, according to “Fitts and Posner’s theory”, is the autonomous stage. Learning is unconscious, which means cognitive thought is not needed when completing movement. Other characteristics of the autonomous stage include: exploiting degrees of freedom, focusing on the most relevant stimuli, and error correction. Three stages of learning are accomplished in progressive order with
To better understand learning, the research and experimentation was conducted by a student. The purpose of this study was to examine a novice learner performing a skill, in which improvement, retention, consistency, adaptability and stages of learning would be tested. The individual chose juggling three beanbags for the skill to be learned. The subject had to learn how to juggle three beanbags at once using both hands. Practice was completed in one way to keep consistency; this included throwing small beanbags standing up in the same room. Hypothesis of the experimenter suggested greatest improvement of skill in the beginning to middle of testing. Learning would be accomplished. An increase in practice time and intensity would need to occur for additional improvement.
Putting learning into perspective, “Fitts and Posner Theory” will help explain three basic stages of learning; verbal-cognitive, motor-associative, and autonomous. Verbal-cognitive is the earliest stage of learning. Characteristics of the novice stage include: high concentration during movement, fatigue which reduces degrees of freedom and performance, the learner needs feedback and correction, and verbal cues are often necessary for learning. The second stage of learning, motor-associative, is where performance is most improved. Characteristics of this stage include: feedback is acknowledged, but cannot be physically corrected, fundamental movements are established, degrees of freedom are increased, and diversification of skill is completed to improve learning. The last stage of learning, according to “Fitts and Posner’s theory”, is the autonomous stage. Learning is unconscious, which means cognitive thought is not needed when completing movement. Other characteristics of the autonomous stage include: exploiting degrees of freedom, focusing on the most relevant stimuli, and error correction. Three stages of learning are accomplished in progressive order with