The Role of Task Difficulty in Learning a Visuomotor Skill

Introduction Task difficulty affects the amount of interpretable information from a task, which is thought to interfere with motor learning. However, it is unclear whether task difficulty in itself is a stimulus for motor learning because the experimental evidence is mixed in support of the optimal challenge point framework that predicts one specific level of task difficulty to produce the greatest magnitude of motor learning. Purpose We determined the effects of functional task difficulty on motor skill acquisition, retention, and transfer. Methods Healthy young participants (N = 36) learned a mirror star-tracing task at a low, medium or hard difficulty level defined by the bandwidth of the star. We measured skill acquisition, retention and transfer to untrained difficulty levels, as well as the perceived mental workload during the task. Results Task difficulty affected motor performance, but did not affect motor learning and transfer. For the groups that practiced the task at the medium and hard but not at the low difficulty level, initial skill level correlated with the magnitude of learning. Conclusion The optimal challenge point framework does not capture the complex relationship between task difficulty and motor learning. Previously reported effects of task difficulty on the magnitude of motor learning are probably mediated by perceived mental workload. Task difficulty did not affect the magnitude of visuomotor skill learning but it affected how learning occurred. The data have implications on how athletes learn new motor skills and patients re-learn injury-impaired motor skills during rehabilitation. Corresponding author at: Josje M. Bootsma, University Medical Center Groningen, Antonius Deusinglaan 1 9713 AV FA23, Groningen, The Netherlands. Email address: j.m.bootsma@student.rug.nl, Phone number: +31618668396 This work was supported by start-up funds from the University Medical Center Groningen. All authors state that there are no financial and personal relationships with third parties that could have inappropriately influenced the present work. The results of the current study do not constitute endorsement by the American College of Sports Medicine and are presented clearly, honestly and without fabrication, falsification or inappropriate data manipulation. © 2018 American College of Sports Medicine

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