Post-KR Delay Intervals and Mental Practice: A Test of Adams' Closed Loop Theory

Abstract

Two hypotheses generated by Adams' closed loop theory of motor learning were the subject of this investigation. There is a time interval between successive trials on a learning task that is divided into a KR delay interval and a post-KR interval. Adams hypothesized that increasing the post-KR delay interval up to a point would be beneficial to learning and that the type of activity in the interval has no effect on learning. This study used five groups in which the time interval and interval activity were variables. A repeated measures ANOVA design was used to analyze data from 50 undergraduate subjects. Significant learning took place on the task but no treatment effects were significant. This lent partial support to Adams' theory about activity in the interval but did not support the idea of increasing the time interval to facilitate learning.