Perceptual-motor skill transfer: Multidimensionality and specificity of both general and specific transfers

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate perceptual-motor skill transfer, both through the specific as well as the general aspect of skill transfer. Specifically, we examined differences in skill transfer that occurred between participants who are skilled in practicing a perceptual motor activity involving striking with an implement and participants who are skilled in their own sports but are novice to striking task (i.e., batting an immobile ball). Skill transfer was assessed through the effect of practicing a new, novel task on the performance (ball velocity), intrinsic behavior (elbow and shoulder kinematic) as well as on the impetus for exploratory behavior (variability of elbow and shoulder kinematics) in the two groups of participants (n = 8 for each group), with reference to another group of expert participants (n = 8) for this batting task. Results showed that positive skill transfer was present and was multidimensional in the group of participants who have experience in using an implement in striking tasks. In addition, both specific transfer as well as general transfer were dependent on the task dynamics. More precisely, positive transfer was observed both through a sharing of similar movement patterns, an impetus for exploration and a direct transfer of performance in a novel task between groups who have experience in using an implement in striking tasks.

Keywords: Dynamical systems; General/specific transfer; Movement patterns; Movement variability.