Practice Variability

• Variable practice:

  • work on a variety of skills from the same task
• Constant practice:

  • the rote repetition of the same task
• Practice Variability: Constant vs. Variable:

  Motor learning theories stress importance of practice variability:

  • The variety of movement and context characteristics a person experiences whilst practising a skill (e.g. Gentile’s learning theory)
• Practice Variability: Constant vs. Variable:

  • Variability will help learner develop an increased ability to adapt to novel conditions and generalise learning
  • (similar to enhancing positive transfer of learning)
• Practice Variability: Constant vs. Variable:

  • General principle: performance errors achieved through providing variable practice schedules benefit learning
  • (there are exceptions where errorless learning is more effective)
• Random practice:

  • several tasks or skills are practiced in a random order
• Blocked practice:

  • the skills or tasks to be learned are repeated in blocks, each block is repeated in the same order
• Practice Variability: Random and Blocked

  • Generally: random practice is more effective than blocked practice
  • Be prepared to modify - learner characteristics may limit the effect of skill learning
• Practice Variability: Random and Blocked

  • Important: Movement performance may appear poor for random practice during practice, but performance is usually more effective after practice (on a transfer test)
• Practice Variability: Random and Blocked

  • Random practice may be inappropriate until learners have understood the requirements
  • Some patients may benefit from blocked practice in the first instance
  • Level of experience and intellectual abilities may influence the effectiveness of random practice
• Practice Variability

  A) variable

  B) random

  C) blocked

  D) constant

  E) blocked