The Locus of Contextual Interference in Motor-Skill Acquisition

Three experiments are reported that investigate the curious paradox that randomly ordering practice trials during motor-skill acquisition is detrimental to practice performance (relative to blocked or repetitively ordered trials) but facilitates retention performance. The results of Experiment 1 refute a notion that this contextual variety effect was actually due to a methodological confounding of the type of reaction paradigm (simple or choice) with the practice order manipulations. In Experiments 2 and 3, a third practice trial order (serial) was added, which contained identifiable conditions similar to both the blocked and random trial orders. Results indicated that this serial order was almost identical to findings observed under random practice conditions. These data were considered evidence that event repetitions during skill acquisition have critical consequences on the development of memory and speeded accessibility of action plans. The results were discussed in a theoretical framework that incorporates recently revamped notions of the role of cognition and mental effort in motor-skill acquisition. Relationships between contextual interference and related empirical and theoretical issues in cognition and the area of motor skills are also explored. :