David L. Wright
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RESEARCH THEME
Practice is a crucial component contributing to skill acquisition commonly resulting in quicker, more accurate and less variable motor performance. Describing and characterizing these changes has both theoretical and practical implications. Our current work focuses on delineating changes in the nature and efficiency of the planning operations associated with performing sequential movements such as keyboarding and rapid aiming responses. Recent efforts have focused on the importance of the structure of practice during modest bouts of practice for enabling improvements in motor programming. The long-term objective of these efforts is to provide insight into the role of movement planning for skill learning. Moreover, to understand how different conditions of practice contribute to effective learning and support generalization to other related skilled behaviors.
FUTURE PROJECTS
A number of projects that will be completed in 2008 will include a few opportunities for either undergraduate or graduate students to obtain valuable research experience. In select cases this might involve 485, 491 or the graduate equivalent credit. Individuals interested in participating in these opportunities must be willing to work a minimum of 10 hr/week in the laboratory. If interested e-mail d-wright@hlkn.tamu.edu before November 1, 2007 to receive additional details and background reading for the following projects.
Project 1: The influence of the prior contextual interference training on memory consolidation.
Project 2: Effector-independent and dependent learning following random and blocked practice.
Project 3: Memory consolidation following an acute bout of aerobic exercise.
College of Education TAMU