In recent research, scientists have uncovered important insights regarding the interplay between cognitive tasks and motor skill learning. The study, which involved 92 right-handed individuals aged 18 to 38, examined how engaging in cognitively demanding tasks might influence the transfer of newly learned motor skills to untrained arms. This exploration adds a new layer to our understanding of motor learning and memory consolidation.
The experiments conducted focused on interlimb generalization, which is the transfer of skills learned with one arm to the other, untrained arm. Previous studies have demonstrated that this ability can be asymmetric, primarily transferring from the dominant to the non-dominant arm. However, little research has identified how cognitive tasks influence this transfer. The researchers aimed to bridge this gap.
In the first experiment, participants underwent extensive training on a targeted motor skill, involving 160 trials that required precise reaching movements with their dominant right arm. Following this training, they completed a secondary task that required working memory or a control task without such demands. The findings revealed significant immediate and delayed generalization of the motor skill to the untrained left arm, irrespective of whether a working memory task was performed after the skill training.
This was further supported in the second experiment, where participants again received long skill training and completed a secondary task but were tested for generalization 24 hours later. Consistently, both groups interfaced with the working memory and control tasks resulted in similar levels of interlimb skill generalization.
However, the third experiment yielded contrasting outcomes. Here, participants received a shorter training duration (reduced to 50 trials) for the skill task and then engaged in the working memory task. The subsequent skill transfer to the untrained arm was impaired when tested 24 hours later, indicating that, under conditions of reduced practice, cognitive tasks could hinder the generalization of newly acquired skills.
Craig Yadav, the lead author of the study, explained the implications of these findings, stating, "Engaging in a working memory task after short skill training results in higher errors in the skill generalization process when assessed later. This suggests that cognitive load may interfere during critical stages of memory stabilization. In contrast, engaging in demanding cognitive tasks following long training appears to be harmless to the learned skill's transfer to the untrained arm."
These results bring essential clarity to the modern understanding of motor skills, as they highlight the importance of not only the duration of motor training but also the nature of concurrent cognitive tasks that follow. This means that performing cognitively demanding tasks right after learning a new skill could potentially negatively influence skilled performance, particularly for shorter training sessions.
The study reveals that for effective skill acquisition and retention, the timing and nature of any subsequent cognitive tasks matter significantly. Therefore, individuals looking to master new skills may benefit from avoiding complex cognitive tasks immediately after practice sessions. Such revelations could aid professional trainers and educators in designing effective training regimens that optimize both motor skill learning and cognitive function.
