The Effects of Errorless Practice on Learning an Aiming Skill in Mentally Retarded Adolescents

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of errorless practice on learning an aiming skill in mentally retarded adolescents. 40 mentally retarded adolescents were assigned to four practice groups based on intelligence quotient and working memory capacity. The task was to throw basketball mini balls into a target with concentric circles. The practice of groups was different from each other. The subjects performed 200 practice attempts in 5 practice blocks in the acquisition stage. Single task and dual task tests were implemented immediately, with 24-hour latency and one-week latency. The secondary task involved counting even numbers forward. The results showed that the groups with the least error and the least involvement in work memory during the practice outperformed other groups in acquisition stage, the single task test and dual task test. The findings of this study were consistent with the Adam's closed loop theory, the reinvestment theory, and the estimates of the challenge point framework regarding errors in the acquisition stage, but they were contradictory with the estimates of the schema theory. These findings also provided evidence to support the claim of the challenge point framework and the reinvestment theory about special individuals (mentally retarded).

Keywords

• errorless protocol
• implicit motor learning
• intelligence quotient
• working memory