Intermanual transfer of timing control between tasks holding different levels of motor complexity

Abstract

Interlateral transfer of learning was investigated in timing tasks holding different levels of motor complexity. The tasks required hitting a hemiball at the end of an electronic trackway simultaneously with the end of displacement of a visual stimulus. The hemiball was to be hit with the palm of one hand (simple task), or through a forehand drive with a racquet (complex task). Four experimental conditions were compared, which resulted from the combination between direction of transfer for complexity, and direction of transfer for hand. The results evidenced partial interlateral transfer of timing control, and that performance on the transfer task was temporally biased by the practised task. Additionally, there was not a consistent advantage for a single direction of transfer of learning, which means symmetric capacity of intermanual transfer. Such findings indicate that in synchronisation tasks motor learning takes place at two levels: at a higher level independent of the effector system, and at a lower effector-specific level.