The Study of Implicit Motor Learning Using a Serial Reaction Time Task

연속 반응시간 과제를 이용한 내재적 운동학습의 특성 연구

  • Park, Ji-Won (Dept. of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Samsung Medical Center & Center for Clinical Medicine) ;
  • Hong, Chul-Pyo (Dept. of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Samsung Medical Center & Center for Clinical Medicine) ;
  • Kim, Jong-Man (Dept. of Physical Therapy, Division of Health, Seonam University) ;
  • Ha, Hyun-Geun (Dept. of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Samsung Medical Center) ;
  • Kim, Yun-Hee (Dept. of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Samsung Medical Center & Center for Clinical Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine)
  • 박지원 (삼성서울병원 임상의학연구소) ;
  • 홍철표 (삼성서울병원 임상의학연구소) ;
  • 김종만 (서남대학교 보건학부 물리치료학과) ;
  • 하현근 (삼성서울병원 재활의학과 물리치료실) ;
  • 김연희 (성균관의대 삼성서울병원 재활의학교실)
  • Published : 2004.05.21

Abstract

Motor skill learning can be acquired implicitly without consciousness of what is being learned. The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics of implicit motor learning in young and elderly people using a perceptual-motor task. Forty normal young and elderly subjects participated. A modified version of the Serial Reaction Time Task (SRTT) using six blocks of twelve perceptual motor sequences was administered. The paradigm consisted of the first random sequence block followed by the four patterned blocks and another random block. In each block, the go signal consisted of an asterisk displayed in the one of the four parallel arrayed boxes in the middle of the screen. Subjects were instructed to push the corresponding response buttons as quickly as possible. Young subjects demonstrated shorter reaction times during the consecutive patterned blocks reflecting appropriate learning accomplished. Elderly subjects were able to learn a perceptual-motor task with implicit knowledge, but the performance was lower than that of the young persons. These results indicated that implicit sequence learning is still preserved in elderly adults, but the rate of learning is slower.

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