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Speed and accuracy instructions affect two aspects of skill learning differently

Speed and accuracy instructions affect two aspects of skill learning differently

Vekony, Teodóra, Pleche, Claire, Pesthy, Orsolya, Janacsek, Karolina ORCID: 0000-0001-7829-8220 and Nemeth, Dezso (2022) Speed and accuracy instructions affect two aspects of skill learning differently. npj Science of Learning, 7:27. ISSN 2056-7936 (Online) (doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-022-00144-9)

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Abstract

Procedural learning is key to optimal skill learning and is essential for functioning in everyday life. The findings of previous studies are contradictory regarding whether procedural learning can be modified by prioritizing speed or accuracy during learning. The conflicting results may be due to the fact that procedural learning is a multifaceted cognitive function. The purpose of our study is to determine whether and how speed and accuracy instructions affect two aspects of procedural learning: the learning of probability-based and serial-order-based regularities. Two groups of healthy individuals were instructed to practice on a cued probabilistic sequence learning task: one group focused on being fast and the other on being accurate during the learning phase. The speed instruction resulted in enhanced expression of probability-based but not serial-order-based knowledge. After a retention period, we instructed the participants to focus on speed and accuracy equally, and we tested their acquired knowledge. The acquired knowledge was comparable between groups in both types of learning. These findings suggest that different aspects of procedural learning can be affected differently by instructions. However, only momentary performance might be boosted by speed instruction; the acquired knowledge remains intact. In addition, as the accuracy instruction resulted in accuracy near ceiling level, the results illustrate that response errors are not needed for humans to learn in the procedural domain and draw attention to the fact that different instructions can separate competence from performance.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: sequence learning, statistical learning, probability learning, procedural memory, speed, accuracy, instruction
Subjects: L Education > LB Theory and practice of education
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group: Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences
Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > Institute for Lifecourse Development
Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > Institute for Lifecourse Development > Centre for Thinking and Learning
Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > School of Human Sciences (HUM)
Last Modified: 26 Oct 2022 13:15
URI: http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/37898

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