Neural mechanism underlying self-controlled feedback on motor skill learning

Yujin Kim; Jingu Kim; Hyunji Kim; Minji Kwon; Myungji Lee; Sungki Park

doi:10.1016/j.humov.2019.04.009

Neural mechanism underlying self-controlled feedback on motor skill learning

Hum Mov Sci. 2019 Aug:66:198-208. doi: 10.1016/j.humov.2019.04.009. Epub 2019 May 6.

Authors

Yujin Kim¹, Jingu Kim², Hyunji Kim³, Minji Kwon³, Myungji Lee³, Sungki Park³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physical Education, Kyungpook National University, 80 Daehakro, Bukgu, Daegu 41566, South Korea. Electronic address: uzkim@knu.ac.kr.
² Department of Physical Education, Kyungpook National University, 80 Daehakro, Bukgu, Daegu 41566, South Korea. Electronic address: jigkim@knu.ac.kr.
³ Department of Physical Education, Kyungpook National University, 80 Daehakro, Bukgu, Daegu 41566, South Korea.

PMID: 31071612
DOI: 10.1016/j.humov.2019.04.009

Abstract

The present study investigated the neural mechanisms of self-controlled (SC) feedback underlying its learning advantages. Forty-two participants, including 24 females (16.43 ± 2.61 years) and 18 males (17.56 ± 0.86 years), were randomly assigned to a SC or yoked (YK) group. The 6-key-pressing task with a goal movement time was adopted as the experimental task. The behavioral results showed that the SC group demonstrated superior performance in transfer; however, the differences in retention did not reach statistical significance. Event-related potential analyses revealed that the SC group exhibited larger post-stimulus and post-feedback P3 amplitudes than the YK group in the frontal regions; these amplitudes were larger in the YK group in the parietal regions. The post-response error positivity amplitude was found to be larger in the YK group than in the SC group. These results suggest that SC feedback may allow the learner to more actively process the task stimuli and feedback information, and contributes to enhancing the learner's motivation and attachment to the task being practiced. The present study provides a neurophysiological explanation for why SC feedback is effective in learning a new motor skill.

Keywords: ERP; Error processing; Feedback processing; Motor learning; Self-controlled feedback; Stimulus processing.