In motor learning, the relative frequency of external feedback is the proportion of external feedback presentations divided by the total number of practice trials. In earlier studies, increasing the percentage of body weight loading on the affected leg of hemiplegic patients, external feedback was continuously produced as the patient attempted to perform a movement. This feedback was produced to enhance the learning effect. However, recent studies in nondisabled populations have suggested that compared with 100% relative frequency conditions, practice with lower relative frequencies is more effective. My study compared the effect of 100% relative frequency conditions with 67% relative frequency conditions to determine what effect they exerted on motor learning for increasing the percentage of body weight loading on the affected lower limbs of patients with hemiplegia. Twenty-four hemiplegic patients were randomly assigned to one of two experimental groups. Each group practiced weight transfer motor learning on a machine. During practice, visual feedback was offered to all subjects. The experiment was carried out with full visual feedback for patients in group one but only 67% visual feedback for patients in group two. The percentage of loading on the affected leg was recorded four times: before learning (baseline value), immediately after learning, 30 minutes after learning, 24 hours after learning. The results were as follows: 1. In the 100% visual feedback group, the percentage of loading on the affected leg increased significantly in all three testing modes over the baseline value. 2. In the 67% visual feedback group, the percentage of loading on the affected leg increased significantly in all three measurements. 3. Immediately after learning, the learning effect was not significantly different between the two groups, but was significantly greater after both the 30 minutes delay and the 24 hours period. These results suggest that the 33% reduction in the provision of visual feedback may enhance the learning effect of increasing the percentage of body weight loading on the affected leg in patients with hemiplegia.
Purpose: The purpose of this investigation was to determine the double sided character of faded and increasing feedback on an anticipation timing task. Methods: Thirty-six undergraduate students(male = 36) whose age raged from 19 to 21, with a mean age of 19.8 years participated in this experiment. All participants were recruited from elective physical education activity classes volunteered to be participants. Participants were randomly assigned into one of three experimental conditions: (1) faded, (2) increasing, and (3) control condition. Task was to hit the enter key on a keyboard when the time arrived at 15 seconds on the screen. Participants performed 12 trials of 4 blocks in the acquisition, 12 trials of 2 blocks in the retention and 12 trials in the transfer phases, respectively. Results: Dependent variable were absolute, variable and constant error. The results of this study revealed that faded and increasing feedback schedules are beneficial for performance, learning and transfer on an anticipation timing task. Conclusion: Contrary to our expectation, we found that both faded and increasing feedback schedules have no double-sided character, which means that starting with faded or increased feedback did lead to better performance, learning and transfer.