Perceptual and motor factors of implicit skill learning

Implicit skill learning underlies not only motor but also cognitive and social skills, and represents an important aspect of life from infancy to old age. Earlier research examining this fundamental form of learning has demonstrated that learning relies on motor and perceptual skills, along with the possible role of oculomotor learning. The goals of the present study were to determine whether motor or perceptual cues provide better prompts to sequence learning and to remove the possibility of oculomotor learning during the task. We used a modified version of the probabilistic ASRT task, which allowed the separation of motor and perceptual factors. Our results demonstrated that motor and perceptual factors influenced skill learning to a similar extent

Sleep has no critical role in implicit motor sequence learning in young and old adults

The influence of sleep on motor skill consolidation has been a research topic of increasing interest. In this study we distinguished general skill learning from sequence-specific learning in a probabilistic implicit sequence learning task (Alternating Serial Reaction Time) in young and old adults before and after a 12-hour offline interval which did or did not contain sleep (pm-am and am-pm groups respectively). The results showed that general skill learning, as assessed via overall RT, improved offline in both the young and older groups, with the young group improving more than the old. However, the improvement was not sleep-dependent, in that there was no difference between the am-pm and pm-am groups. We did not find sequence-specific offline improvement in either age group for either the am-pm or pm-am groups, suggesting that consolidation of this kind of implicit motor sequence learning may not be influenced by sleep

Probabilistic sequence learning in mild cognitive impairment

Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) causes slight but noticeable disruption in cognitive systems, primarily executive and memory functions. However, it is not clear if the development of sequence learning is affected by an impaired cognitive system and, if so, how. The goal of our study was to investigate the development of probabilistic sequence learning, from the initial acquisition to consolidation, in MCI and healthy elderly control groups. We used the Alternating Serial Reaction Time task (ASRT) to measure probabilistic sequence learning. Individuals with MCI showed weaker learning performance than the healthy elderly group. However, using the reaction times only from the second half of each learning block – after the reactivation phase - we found intact learning in MCI. Based on the assumption that the first part of each learning block is related to reactivation/recall processes, we suggest that these processes are affected in MCI. The 24-hour offline period showed no effect on sequence-specific learning in either group but did on general skill learning: the healthy elderly group showed offline improvement in general reaction times while individuals with MCI did not. Our findings deepen our understanding regarding the underlying mechanisms and time course of sequence acquisition and consolidation

Learning in autism: implicitly superb

Background: Although autistic people have shown impairments in various learning and memory tasks, recent studies have reported mixed findings concerning implicit learning in ASD. Implicit skill learning, with its unconscious and statistical properties, underlies not only motor but also cognitive and social skills, and it therefore plays an important role from infancy to old age. Methodology/Principal findings: We investigated probabilistic implicit sequence learning and its consolidation in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Three groups of children participated: thirteen with high-functioning ASD, 14 age-matched controls, and 13 IQ-matched controls. All were tested on the Alternating Serial Reaction Time Task (ASRT), making it possible to separate general skill learning from sequence-specific learning. The ASRT task was repeated after 16 hours. We found that control and ASD children showed similar sequence-specific and general skill learning in the learning phase. Consolidation of skill learning and sequence-specific learning were also intact in the ASD compared to the control groups. Conclusions/Significance: These results suggest that autistic children can use the effects/results of implicit learning not only for a short period, but also for a longer stretch of time. Using these findings, therapists can design more effective educational and rehabilitation programs

The Effects of Video Media in English as a Second Language Listening Comprehension Tests

The emergence of powerful computers in language testing permits the use of video media in second language computer assisted listening comprehension tests. Little research is available on what the effects of the video media are in listening comprehension test tasks. The present study examines two video formats (close-up view of the head of the lecturer, and full body view of the lecturer) and compares these to the audio-only format in a listening comprehension test setting. A simulated UCLA classroom lecture was videotaped and used, and one hundred and one students took the test. The aim of the research was to explore whether there were any performance differences when students took these tests in the different formats. The results of the present study show that the addition of the visual channel does not contribute to or take away from the performance in English as a second language listening comprehension test

The Effects of Video Media in English as a Second Language Listening Comprehension Tests

The emergence of powerful computers in language testing permits the use of video media in second language computer assisted listening comprehension tests. Little research is available on what the effects of the video media are in listening comprehension test tasks. The present study examines two video formats (close-up view of the head of the lecturer, and full body view of the lecturer) and compares these to the audio-only format in a listening comprehension test setting. A simulated UCLA classroom lecture was videotaped and used, and one hundred and one students took the test. The aim of the research was to explore whether there were any performance differences when students took these tests in the different formats. The results of the present study show that the addition of the visual channel does not contribute to or take away from the performance in English as a second language listening comprehension test

Natural and Unnatural Constraints in Hungarian Vowel Harmony

Phonological constraints can, in principle, be classified according to whether they are natural (founded in principles of Universal Grammar (UG)) or unnatural (arbitrary, learned inductively from the language data). Recent work has used this distinction as the basis for arguments about the role of UG in learning. Some languages have phonological patterns that arguably reflect unnatural constraints. With experimental testing, one can assess whether such patterns are actually learned by native speakers. Becker, Ketrez, and Nevins (2007), testing speakers of Turkish, suggest that they do indeed go unlearned. They interpret this result with a strong UG position: humans are unable to learn data patterns not backed by UG principles. This article pursues the same research line, locating similarly unnatural data patterns in the vowel harmony system of Hungarian, such as the tendency (among certain stem types) for a final bilabial stop to favor front harmony. Our own test leads to the opposite conclusion to Becker et al.: Hungarians evidently do learn the unnatural patterns. To conclude we consider a bias account—that speakers are able to learn unnatural environments, but devalue them relative to natural ones. We outline a method for testing the strength of constraints as learned by speakers against the strength of the corresponding patterns in the lexicon, and show that it offers tentative support for the hypothesis that unnatural constraints are disfavored by language learners

Language Assessment as a System: Best Practices, Stakeholders, Models, and Testimonials

Panel Discussio