The Generalizability Effectiveness of a Learning Strategy on Achievement in Related Closed Motor Skills

Abstract

This study determined the effectiveness of a global learning strategy on the skill level attained in one closed primary task and two related ones. Eighty subjects were randomly assigned to five groups equal in number and sex: a content-dependent strategy group (CDS), a content-dependent strategy plus reminders group (CDSR), a content-independent strategy group (CIS), a content-independent strategy plus reminders group (CISR), or a control group. A content dependent strategy is one learned in reference to a specific task; in this case, the primary one. A content independent strategy is learned in the context of many example tasks. Subjects performed underhanded dart throwing as the primary task, jart throwing (similar in nature to dart throwing) as the directly related task, and soccer foul shooting as the slightly related task. The strategy used to test the hypotheses generated was the Singer 5-Step Strategy. ANOVAs indicated that all of the strategy learning conditions were significantly more effective than the control condition for each task. Furthermore, the CIS learning situation was more beneficial for the learning of the task most related to the primary task than the CDS learning situation. The CISR group outperformed the other strategy groups in the less-related task.

Key Words:

• strategy
• closed motor skill
• transfer
• generality