Abstract

PINHO, Dayane M.; LAGE, Guilherme M.; UGRINOWITSCH, Herbert  and  BENDA, Rodolfo N.. Effect of task complexity in the bilateral transfer direction in serial motor skills . Rev. Port. Cien. Desp. [online]. 2007, vol.7, n.2, pp.209-216. ISSN 1645-0523.

The effect of task complexity in the bilateral transfer direction in serial motor skills was investigated through two experiments. In the first, twenty participants performed a less complex task (typing a key sequence) and in the second, another group of twenty participants performed a more complex task (positioning). The goal in both tasks was to perform the movements as quickly as possible. In both experiments, the subjects were randomly assigned 1) to the group that practiced with the preferred hand (GPH) and was tested with the non-preferred hand or 2) to the group that practiced with the non-preferred hand (GNPH) and was tested with the preferred hand. The experiment phases consisted of pre-test, acquisition and post-test. The analysis between pre and post-test indicated that independently of the direction of bilateral transfer and task complexity, all groups had the benefits of bilateral transfer in terms of performance and consistency. The analysis between the end of acquisition and the post-test pointed out an inverse relation between the direction of transfer and task complexity. The results are discussed in terms of the kind of processing required in the tasks.

Keywords : motor learning; transfer effect; bilateral transfer; task complexity.

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