The role of visual and kinaesthetic cues in learning a novel skill

Abstract

Ss were trained in a serial discriminative task under normal sensory feedback; with visual (+K-V) information loss; with kinaesthetic (-K+V) information loss. The performance curves over the 10 training sessions showed initial high decrement for -K+V; and somewhat less decrement for +K-V groups. All groups improved significantly, the information loss groups reaching the same final performance level. In Test 1 (normal feedback), the groups performed at equal levels. Thus it was proposed that sensory information during the practice of a new skill influences performance rather than learning. The results in Test 2, where feedback channels available to Ss differed from those utilized during training, lent some support to the hypothesis of the dependence of skilled task on the modality utilized during training.