Pretask Speed Training and Movement Complexity as Factors in Rotary Pursuit Skill Acquisition

Abstract

The effects of 4 gradual build-up pretask speed training programs were observed for rotary pursuit transfer scores using 216 men and women physical education majors. Ss were exposed to 3 days of pretask speed training and 3 transfer days where all Ss were tested at the same speed. A complexity dimension was added utilizing a circle, square, or triangle top plate. A 4 × 2 × 3 × 3 ANOVA was computed with repeated measures on the 3 transfer days. The other factors were 4 training conditions, sex, and 3 complexity levels. No significant differences were observed for sex, yet the other 3 main effects showed significant differences at the .05 level. The group exposed to the slowest speed training program was the only group of Ss which had significantly lower time-on-target scores from the control group who trained at the criterion speed. The complexity groups produced significantly different scores with the circle greater than the square, and the square greater than the triangle. The analysis for the days factor indicated significant improvement with each successive day. Significant speeds X days, complexity X days, and speeds X complexity X days interactions indicated most of the differences were in the first transfer day. The easiest skill, the circle, produced a different pattern than the harder skills indicating a differential effect for complexity levels in speed training.