Fundamental processes in sensorimotor learning: Reasoning, refinement, and retrieval
- Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, United States
- Neuroscience Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, United States
- School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, United States
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, United States
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University, United States
- Department of Psychology, University of California Berkeley, United States
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, United States
- Santa Fe Institute, United States
Figures
Figure 1
Classic and revised taxonomies of long-term memory.
A revision of the classic taxonomy proposed by Squire and Zola, 1996 (gray lines), with motor skills tapping into both explicit and implicit memory (dashed red line).
Figure 2
Implicit and explicit learning processes contribute to a wide range of sensorimotor learning tasks.
(A) Schematic of an error-based motor learning task. The 45° rotated cursor feedback (white dot) was provided throughout the movement. (B) Mean time course of hand angle (light blue line) during …
Figure 3
A default motor plan toward a repeated movement direction can be strategically overridden.
(A) Reaching set-up showing locations of frequent and rare probe targets. Only one of seven targets (filled blue circle) was visible on each trial. (B) Movement trajectories from a representative …
Figure 4
Implicit and explicit learning exhibit contrasting properties in visuomotor rotation tasks.
(A, B) Learning functions requiring strategic re-aiming scale with the size of the rotation, whereas the size of the aftereffect, indicative of the implicit component, does not scale. Figure adapted …
Figure 5
Group and subgroup performance in an explicit motor learning task.
(A) Median time course of heading angle during baseline, perturbed feedback, and aftereffect (no feedback) phases. During the perturbation phase, the feedback cursor was rotated 60° from the actual …
Tables
Table 1
Reasoning, refinement, and retrieval in different motor skill learning contexts.
| Learning to bike | Learning to play tennis | Learning to play piano | Learning to walk | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reasoning | Understanding the mapping between arm movements and direction of the bike | Understanding how different arm and wrist movements affect the trajectory of the ball | Understanding the relationship between musical notes and the required finger movements | Developing an intuition for how to distribute weight to achieve balance |
| Refinement | Fine-tuning the amplitude of movement for smooth and efficient cycling. | Fine-tuning the angle of the stroke and racquet grip to accurately hit the ball | Fine-tuning the force and timing to enhance emotional expression | Fine-tuning the muscular coordination to maintain balance while walking |
| Retrieval | Performing a flawless ‘Wheelie Drop’ when encountering stairs. | Executing a complex spin serve when finding the opponent in a favorable receiving position | Improvising new musical pieces by combining learned melodies | Rapid recovery from stumbles |
