PDFE #10 "Stages of Learning"

On November 1st, our class performed a lab based on the constant and varied practice of throwing a beanbag. Constant practice is a form of practicing a single task that allows the individual to repeatedly rehearse one variation of a task. This is similar to quick-stick in lacrosse. During quick-stick, the player practices one very specific type of throw over and over again as quickly as possible, which helps improve reflexes. On the other hand, varied practice allows the player to practice different versions of the same action. For example, wall ball in lacrosse allows the player the freedom of changing the type of throw while still practicing the task of throwing/catching. Varied practice transfers over to performances much better than constant practice.

In our lab, we partnered up and each performed either a constant or varied practice schedule. My partner was Emma, who performed the varied practice. Her task was to throw a beanbag at a target (hula-hoop with a disk in the center) from a distance of 4, 5, and 6 meters. Each time Emma threw from one distance, she would switch to another distance. My task was to perform a constant practice schedule. I had to throw a beanbag at the target from a distance of 5 meters. My distance never changed. Both of us threw the beanbag forty-five times for practice, and then five times for a retention test to see which practice schedule worked best.

With the varied practice schedule, Emma hit the target a total of 12 times during the practice, and twice for the retention test. With the constant practice schedule, I hit the target 14 times during the practices, and twice for the retention test. Based off of the results, neither practice schedule was better than the other. These results are interesting because the varied practice schedule was supposed to create better results in a performance situation.

There are several factors that could contribute to these skewed results. First, things such as fatigue, talking, laughing, or boredom could have distracted the participant enough to where they were not focused on the task at hand. Also, natural ability could play a huge role in the constant and varied practice schedules creating the same results. For example, if I naturally have a higher level of hand-eye coordination and throwing abilities than Emma, then my results for the constant practice could match her results for the varied practice. The way to get rid of the human error in the experiment would be to have the same person perform both constant and varied practice schedules and compare their own results. That way natural ability does not interfere with the results.