TY - JOUR
T1 - Practicing elements versus practicing coordination
T2 - Changes in the structure of variance
AU - Wu, Yen Hsun
AU - Pazin, Nemanja
AU - Zatsiorsky, Vladimir M.
AU - Latash, Mark L.
N1 - Funding Information:
The study was in part supported by NIH grants AG-018751, NS-035032, and AR-048563.
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - The authors explored effects of practice of a 2-finger accurate force production task on components of finger force variance quantified within the uncontrolled manifold (UCM) hypothesis, VUCM, that had no effect on total force and VORT that affected total force. A variable task with graded instability was designed to encourage use of variable solutions. Two groups of subjects (n = 9 each) were tested prior to a 1.5-hr practice session, after the session, and 2 weeks later (retention test). Group 1 practiced 1 finger at a time, while Group 2 practiced the task with 2 fingers (index and middle) pressing together. Both groups showed comparable improvements in the performance indices. Both groups showed a decrease in VORT, while only Group 2 showed an increase in VUCM. These effects persisted during the retention test. The results show that practicing elements and practicing redundant groups of elements may lead to similar changes in performance (i.e., in the variability of the total force produced by the set of fingers), accompanied by dramatically different changes in the structure of variance: A drop in VUCM after the single-finger practice and an increase following the 2-finger practice. The strong retention effects promise applications of the method to rehabilitation.
AB - The authors explored effects of practice of a 2-finger accurate force production task on components of finger force variance quantified within the uncontrolled manifold (UCM) hypothesis, VUCM, that had no effect on total force and VORT that affected total force. A variable task with graded instability was designed to encourage use of variable solutions. Two groups of subjects (n = 9 each) were tested prior to a 1.5-hr practice session, after the session, and 2 weeks later (retention test). Group 1 practiced 1 finger at a time, while Group 2 practiced the task with 2 fingers (index and middle) pressing together. Both groups showed comparable improvements in the performance indices. Both groups showed a decrease in VORT, while only Group 2 showed an increase in VUCM. These effects persisted during the retention test. The results show that practicing elements and practicing redundant groups of elements may lead to similar changes in performance (i.e., in the variability of the total force produced by the set of fingers), accompanied by dramatically different changes in the structure of variance: A drop in VUCM after the single-finger practice and an increase following the 2-finger practice. The strong retention effects promise applications of the method to rehabilitation.
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U2 - 10.1080/00222895.2012.740101
DO - 10.1080/00222895.2012.740101
M3 - Review article
C2 - 23237469
AN - SCOPUS:84871448105
SN - 0022-2895
VL - 44
SP - 471
EP - 478
JO - Journal of motor behavior
JF - Journal of motor behavior
IS - 6
ER -