Observational Learning: Influences on Temporal Response Organization Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • This article reports the role of actual and observational practice in the learning of a task that required the temporal organization of simple responses. The experiment utilized a task similar to one developed by Pew (1966) in which subjects controlled the position of a continuously moving cursor by alternately pressing two response keys. Similar to Pew's findings, our findings demonstrated that, over acquisition trials, subjects exhibited an increase in their rate of responding, an increase in response rhythmicity, and a reduction in position error. More importantly, after a 24-hr retention interval, it was demonstrated that the rate and rhythmicity of responding and error scores for the observation practice group were indistinguishable from those of the actual practice group. These data were consistent with the notion that observation practice was sufficient to organize a response pattern associated with open loop and hierarchical control. 1992, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

published proceedings

  • Human Performance

author list (cited authors)

  • Kohl, R. M., & Shea, C. H.

citation count

  • 3

complete list of authors

  • Kohl, Robert M||Shea, Charles H

publication date

  • September 1992