The “When” and the “What”: Effects of Self-Control of Feedback about Multiple Critical Movement Features on Motor Performance and Learning

The effect of allowing learners to control selected aspect(s) of their learning environment (e.g., augmented feedback) has been shown to be beneficial during skill acquisition. Although Chiviacowsky and Wulf (2002, 2005) indicated that learners in a self-control protocol preferred feedback after so-called good performances rather than bad ones, Aiken, Fairbrother, & Post (2012) found no such preference in learners using video knowledge of performance (KP) for a basketball set shot. Laughlin (2012) reported that participants given self-control over four different types of instructional assistance displayed individualized request patterns tied to task proficiency and personal preferences. For example, learners’ requests for knowledge of results (KR) increased throughout acquisition while those for KP decreased. Together, Aiken et al. (2012) and Laughlin (2012) indicated that learner’s decisions about the timing and content of requested feedback are more complex than previously demonstrated. The purpose of this study was to examine feedback request behaviors and self-control effects in a protocol allowing learners to manage the provision of KP about four different critical features of a fairly complex task (ergometer rowing). The use of KP allowed an exploration of how learners’ feedback requests were tied to their success on each movement element and their perceptions of proficiency. The inclusion of a yoked control group extended Laughlin’s design to test whether or not a self-control benefit would be seen in a protocol that placed a relatively high information-management burden on the participants. Results revealed that the Self-Control (SC) group achieved significantly higher mean form scores during acquisition and retention, and also significantly lower heart rate during retention compared to the yoked (YK) group. Additionally, responses to a post-practice interview showed that SC participants’ requests for KP followed both good and bad trials, and were used for both error correction and confirmation of success. These findings indicated that self-control of KP for multiple critical features benefits learning of a complex task. The pattern of KP requests indicated that participants generally focused on the easier critical features early in practice. Moreover, participants used KP more for correction early, but increased its use for success confirmation as they gained proficiency.