Jeni Hagan L&S Sciences
Impact of Individual Motor System Variability on Motor Learning
Learning a motor skill takes a use of error-based learning to devise new strategies towards mastering that skill. Motor skills are perfected through attempting new solutions based on previous movement errors. The presence of motor noise, which is variability between repetitions of the same motor movement, can interfere with error learning as the previous movement error could be from incorrect planning or baseline motor noise. Past research on motor learning has found that while under certain conditions high motor noise is beneficial in learning during a motor task, it is hindering in other tasks. This investigation will expand current research on motor learning by looking at what task-specific conditions benefit an individuals learning rate due to a high initial motor noise. Understanding the contribution of inherent motor noise to learning ability can help develop individualized training models to promote motor learning in people with neurodegenerative disorders.