Probabilistic motor sequence yields greater offline and less online learning than fixed sequence
It is well acknowledged that motor sequences can be learned quickly through online learning. Subsequently, the initial acquisition of a motor sequence is boosted or consolidated by offline learning. However, little is known whether offline learning can drive the fast learning of motor sequences (i.e...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2016-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnhum.2016.00087/full |
| _version_ | 1819134854563889152 |
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| author | Yue eDu Yue eDu Shikha ePrashad Shikha ePrashad Ilana eSchoenbrun Jane E Clark Jane E Clark |
| author_facet | Yue eDu Yue eDu Shikha ePrashad Shikha ePrashad Ilana eSchoenbrun Jane E Clark Jane E Clark |
| author_sort | Yue eDu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | It is well acknowledged that motor sequences can be learned quickly through online learning. Subsequently, the initial acquisition of a motor sequence is boosted or consolidated by offline learning. However, little is known whether offline learning can drive the fast learning of motor sequences (i.e., initial sequence learning in the first training session). To examine offline learning in the fast learning stage, we asked four groups of young adults to perform the serial reaction time (SRT) task with either a fixed or probabilistic sequence and with or without preliminary knowledge of the presence of a sequence. The sequence and instruction types were manipulated to emphasize either procedural (probabilistic sequence; no preliminary knowledge) or declarative (fixed sequence; with preliminary knowledge) memory that were found to either facilitate or inhibit offline learning. In the SRT task, there were six learning blocks with a two-minute break between each consecutive block. Throughout the session, stimuli followed the same fixed or probabilistic pattern except in Block 5, in which stimuli appeared in a random order. We found that preliminary knowledge facilitated the learning of a fixed sequence, but not a probabilistic sequence. In addition to overall learning measured by the mean reaction time (RT), we examined the progressive changes in RT within and between blocks (i.e., online and offline learning, respectively). It was found that the two groups who performed the fixed sequence, regardless of preliminary knowledge, showed greater online learning than the other two groups who performed the probabilistic sequence. The groups who performed the probabilistic sequence, regardless of preliminary knowledge, did not display online learning, as indicated by a decline in performance within the learning blocks. However, they did demonstrate remarkably greater offline improvement in RT, which suggests that they are learning the probabilistic sequence offline. These results suggest that in the SRT task, the fast acquisition of a motor sequence is driven by concurrent online and offline learning. In addition, as the acquisition of a probabilistic sequence requires greater procedural memory compared to the acquisition of a fixed sequence, our results suggest that offline learning is more likely to take place in |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T10:09:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-94b9629a41784453814c03444ab2bf0e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5161 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T10:09:48Z |
| publishDate | 2016-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-94b9629a41784453814c03444ab2bf0e2022-12-21T18:29:53ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Human Neuroscience1662-51612016-03-011010.3389/fnhum.2016.00087168947Probabilistic motor sequence yields greater offline and less online learning than fixed sequenceYue eDu0Yue eDu1Shikha ePrashad2Shikha ePrashad3Ilana eSchoenbrun4Jane E Clark5Jane E Clark6University of Maryland, College ParkUniversity of Maryland, College ParkUniversity of Maryland, College ParkUniversity of MarylandUniversity of Maryland, College ParkUniversity of Maryland, College ParkUniversity of MarylandIt is well acknowledged that motor sequences can be learned quickly through online learning. Subsequently, the initial acquisition of a motor sequence is boosted or consolidated by offline learning. However, little is known whether offline learning can drive the fast learning of motor sequences (i.e., initial sequence learning in the first training session). To examine offline learning in the fast learning stage, we asked four groups of young adults to perform the serial reaction time (SRT) task with either a fixed or probabilistic sequence and with or without preliminary knowledge of the presence of a sequence. The sequence and instruction types were manipulated to emphasize either procedural (probabilistic sequence; no preliminary knowledge) or declarative (fixed sequence; with preliminary knowledge) memory that were found to either facilitate or inhibit offline learning. In the SRT task, there were six learning blocks with a two-minute break between each consecutive block. Throughout the session, stimuli followed the same fixed or probabilistic pattern except in Block 5, in which stimuli appeared in a random order. We found that preliminary knowledge facilitated the learning of a fixed sequence, but not a probabilistic sequence. In addition to overall learning measured by the mean reaction time (RT), we examined the progressive changes in RT within and between blocks (i.e., online and offline learning, respectively). It was found that the two groups who performed the fixed sequence, regardless of preliminary knowledge, showed greater online learning than the other two groups who performed the probabilistic sequence. The groups who performed the probabilistic sequence, regardless of preliminary knowledge, did not display online learning, as indicated by a decline in performance within the learning blocks. However, they did demonstrate remarkably greater offline improvement in RT, which suggests that they are learning the probabilistic sequence offline. These results suggest that in the SRT task, the fast acquisition of a motor sequence is driven by concurrent online and offline learning. In addition, as the acquisition of a probabilistic sequence requires greater procedural memory compared to the acquisition of a fixed sequence, our results suggest that offline learning is more likely to take place inhttp://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnhum.2016.00087/fulldeclarative memoryOnline Learningprocedural memoryoffline learningProbabilistic sequenceSequence knowledge |
| spellingShingle | Yue eDu Yue eDu Shikha ePrashad Shikha ePrashad Ilana eSchoenbrun Jane E Clark Jane E Clark Probabilistic motor sequence yields greater offline and less online learning than fixed sequence Frontiers in Human Neuroscience declarative memory Online Learning procedural memory offline learning Probabilistic sequence Sequence knowledge |
| title | Probabilistic motor sequence yields greater offline and less online learning than fixed sequence |
| title_full | Probabilistic motor sequence yields greater offline and less online learning than fixed sequence |
| title_fullStr | Probabilistic motor sequence yields greater offline and less online learning than fixed sequence |
| title_full_unstemmed | Probabilistic motor sequence yields greater offline and less online learning than fixed sequence |
| title_short | Probabilistic motor sequence yields greater offline and less online learning than fixed sequence |
| title_sort | probabilistic motor sequence yields greater offline and less online learning than fixed sequence |
| topic | declarative memory Online Learning procedural memory offline learning Probabilistic sequence Sequence knowledge |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnhum.2016.00087/full |
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