CHRONIC
DISEASE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
THE
EFFECT OF DISTRIBUTION OF
PRACTICE TIME ON LEARNING AND MAINTENANCE ON A CONINUOUS MOTOR SKILL
Tsourlinis
Grigorios, Porfiriadou Anthi, Iakovidis Paris
T.E.I. Thessaloniki,
Department of Physiotherapy, Greece
The studies about the kind of
training and its effects on performance and motor learning have a long
history. The results were often opposable regarding the effectiveness
of the different kinds of training. The aim of the study was to
investigate the effects of the massed and the distributed practice on
learning and on the maintenance of learning of a motor skill. The skill
which was investigated was balance on a stability platform.
The measurement was applied on three groups, each consisted of 3
healthy subjects (total n=9). Group A practiced in massed practice
(100% practice without break), group B practiced in massed practice
consisted of 60% practice time and 40% break time and group C practiced
in distributed practice consisted of 40% practice time and 60% break
time. According to the results there were no significant differences
between the 3 groups regarding learning and maintenance of learning
(p=0.812) whereas the group which was practiced in distributed practice
presented an advantage comparatively to the other two groups. There was
significant difference between initial and final measurement (p=0.024)
in all groups and between initial and maintenance measurement (p=0.007)
in all groups also. The results of this study confirm the general
findings from previous studies that either massed or distributed
practice have a positive contribution on motor learning, especially
when it concerns continuous skills with low energy demands such as
balance training.
KEY WORDS: performance, motor
learning,
massed practice, distributed practice, continuous skill, balance.
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