Question 1

Examination of brain activity associated with blocked and random practice provides support for:

Accepted Answer

The examination of brain activity associated with blocked and random practice provides support for both the reconstruction hypothesis (which suggests that random practice causes learners to engage in deeper processing and thus better retention and transfer) and the elaboration hypothesis (which suggests that the varied and unpredictable nature of random practice requires learners to engage in more problem-solving and creates stronger memory traces). Therefore, the best choice is C, which acknowledges both hypotheses.

Question 2

In the contextual interference experiment by Lee and Magill, the practice schedule that yielded the same results as the random schedule was the ________ practice schedule.

Accepted Answer

serial

Question 3

The practice schedule that involves the lowest amount of contextual interference is the ________ practice schedule.

Accepted Answer

blocked

Question 4

According to Gentile's learning model, to practice an open skill it is essential to vary the ________ conditions related to the skill.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to Gentile's learning model, to practice...

Question 5

The practice schedule that involves the highest amount of contextual interference is the ________ practice schedule.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The practice schedule that involves the highest...

Question 6

When different levels of contextual interference during motor skill practice are compared, results typically show that:

Accepted Answer

High contextual interference often leads to better transfer performance despite lower performance during practice, as it enhances learning and adaptability.

Question 7

The especial skills effect:

Accepted Answer

The especial skills effect cannot be completely accounted for by the practice specificity or variability hypothesis because it refers to the phenomenon where individuals demonstrate superior performance in a specific context, even when the skills practiced are very similar but not identical to that context. This effect is not limited to children and has been observed in adults as well.

Question 8

When a person experiences a practice condition where the likelihood of making errors early in practice is high, transfer performance is generally:

Accepted Answer

Making errors during early practice can lead to better transfer performance because it encourages deeper processing and learning from mistakes, enhancing the ability to apply skills in different contexts.

Question 9

The hypothesis that explains the contextual interference effect based on the argument that between-trial interference causes individuals to forget critical information encoded on the previous trial is the:

Accepted Answer

The Action plan reconstruction hypothesis explains the contextual interference effect by arguing that between-trial interference causes individuals to reconstruct their action plans, causing them to forget critical information encoded on the previous trial.

Question 10

Research has shown that beginning badminton players learned the long, short, and drive serves best when they followed a ________ schedule to practice the serves.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Research has shown that beginning badminton players...

Question 11

Which of the following situations does not support the specificity of practice hypothesis?

Accepted Answer

The specificity of practice hypothesis argues that skills are best learned when practice conditions match the actual performance conditions as closely as possible. Therefore, practicing multiple variations of a skill may decrease the specificity of practice and make it harder for the learner to transfer the skill to a different context. However, the other options listed in the question all relate to factors that can enhance the specificity of practice and thus support the hypothesis.

Question 12

Simon and Bjork (2001) found that when participants were asked to judge their performances on a retention test, participants who experienced a blocked schedule typically:

Accepted Answer

Participants who experienced a blocked schedule tended to overestimate their retention test performance.

Question 13

For open skills, regulatory conditions:

Accepted Answer

Regulatory conditions in open skills environments can vary from one performance to another and during the movement execution due to constantly changing environmental factors and the unpredictable nature of opponents or team members.

Question 14

Contextual interference can be considered as a continuum ranging from low to high for the amount of interference created by the practice schedule. Which of the following describes a low-to-high continuum of practice schedules?

Accepted Answer

Blocked practice schedules involve practicing the same skill repeatedly, while random practice schedules involve practicing different skills in a random order. Serial practice schedules involve practicing skills in a fixed order. Low contextual interference occurs when the practice schedule is blocked, because the same skill is practiced repeatedly, so there is less interference from other skills. High contextual interference occurs when the practice schedule is random, because different skills are practiced in a random order, so there is more interference from other skills. Therefore, the correct answer is A) Blocked-Serial-Random, because this continuum ranges from low contextual interference (blocked practice) to high contextual interference (random practice).

Question 15

Hall and colleagues (1994) demonstrated that the contextual interference effect is:

Accepted Answer

Hall and colleagues (1994) demonstrated that the contextual interference effect is applicable to skilled performers. They found that high contextual interference, where a learner practices multiple skills in a random order, leads to better long-term retention and transfer compared to low contextual interference, where a learner practices one skill at a time. This effect has been demonstrated in various domains, including sports, music, and language learning.

Question 16

An example of a type of practice that fits well with the view that errors can benefit learning is commonly referred to as ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of An example of a type of practice...

Question 17

According to Gentile, variable practice experiences for closed skills should focus on varying:

Accepted Answer

Variable practice for closed skills should focus on varying the nonregulatory conditions, as the regulatory conditions remain constant in closed skills.

Question 18

Regulatory conditions in a motor skill performance situation include:

Accepted Answer

Regulatory conditions refer to the factors that affect the performance of a motor skill. The speed of a tennis ball during a rally is a regulatory condition as it affects the player's ability to time their stroke and hit the ball back. The score of a baseball game and the number of spectators do not directly affect a player's performance in a motor skill task. The color of a pen that needs to be picked up may be a task condition but not a regulatory condition as it does not affect the execution of the motor skill.

Question 19

Goode and Magill (1986) found that a ______________ practice schedule facilitated the retention and transfer of badminton service skills.

Accepted Answer

Goode and Magill found that a random practice schedule, where the order of practicing different service skills was varied, was more effective in facilitating retention and transfer of badminton service skills than a blocked practice schedule where the same skill was repeatedly practiced in a blocked fashion.

Question 20

Research suggests that blocked practice consistently leads to poor performance:

Accepted Answer

Blocked practice involves repeatedly practicing the same skill or task in the same context, which can lead to overlearning and a lack of adaptability to new situations. Therefore, when tested on transfer tests that involve novel skill variations or performance contexts, individuals who have engaged in blocked practice tend to perform poorly. This effect has been found to be true for both open and closed skills. However, blocked practice can lead to better performance on retention tests, which measure how well the skill is remembered over time.

Quiz 16: Practice Variability and Specificity