Repeated Errors in Motor Learning

Abstract

Analysis was made of the error records of three- groups of Ss carrying out two blocks of practice with the discrimination reaction timer. During the first block, an attempt was made to vary S-s ‘ commitment ’ to wrong responses by modelling the practice of the second group, and the observation of the third group, upon the responses of the control group-It was shown that, during the course of learning, Ss tend increasingly to repeat specific errors. Some support was found for the hypothesis that Ss learn the errors which they commit, although the contribution of early errors to the distribution of later errors was small and must be considered largely nonspecific. The method used to vary the degree of commitment had little effect.

Notes

On leave of absence from the University of Exeter, while holding a Senior Foreign Scientist Fellowship from the National Science Foundation. Now at the University of Louisville, Kentucky.