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Abstract:
Abstract: This study examines whether the learning of a
sequence of finger movements in a choice reaction time task is
primarily motoric, or whether it involves the acquisition of a more
abstract representation that can be translated to different
effectors. This question is explored in three experiments on
intermanual transfer of knowledge for sequential finger movements
using the serial reaction time (SRT) task. For both explicit and
implicit sequence learning, better intermanual transfer was
observed when the sequence presented to the second hand was a
parallel image of the original sequence compared to when the
transfer sequence was a mirror image, although evidence of mirror
transfer was also obtained. These results suggest that sequence
learning in this task is primarily abstract, rather than motoric. A
third experiment examined transfer of learning when participants
learned finger movements during training, then at transfer switched
to arm movements using the contralateral arm. Transfer of learning
for the parallel sequence was again indicated, but no transfer was
obtained for the mirror sequence. Together, the results suggest
that the learning on these tasks primarily entails the development
of an abstract spatial representation of successive actions.
However, additional learning can occur at a more motoric level,
perhaps due to the activation of homologous muscles.
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