Is it preferable to base the assessment of learning on retention or transfer test rather than on only performance during skill acquisition? Why or why not?

It is preferable to base the assessment of learning on retention and/or transfer test rather than performance during skill acquisition. Skill acquisition, and more specifically, motor learning, hinges upon the concept of long-term learning of skills that can be recalled and demonstrated regardless of performance variables (Magill & Anderson, 2017). These performance variables include relative alertness of the individual; state of an individual’s anxiety in the context; unique nature of the context; and an individual’s level of fatigue (Magill & Anderson, 2017). These performance variables can also impact performance. If an individual’s level of learning is being based on performance, that performance could be impacted by anxiety or fatigue, thus giving a false reading on a test.

Research has shown that “performance is often an unreliable index of whether… long-term changes that constitute learning have taken place” (Soderstrom & Bjork, 2015).

Retention and/ or transfer tests are a better way to judge learning. In a retention test, the individual takes a break between practice and the retention test. The individual also takes the retention test under different conditions than practice. For example, a long distance runner who trains on a treadmill in a climate controlled environment would be taken to an outdoor track in the cold for a retention test. On the other hand, the transfer test tests generalizability of the learned skill with a similar skill. For example, the tennis player would play racquetball or badminton during a transfer test. Both of these tests address permanence.

Permanence is a concept central to motor learning. A task that is considered learned must be “accessible in various contexts” (Soderstrom & Bjork, 2015). Another way to describe this is generalization of learning. That is, “the degree to which newly acquired skills can be produced… in a new workspace or under new modes of movement” (Seidler, 2010).

Reference:

Magill, R. A., & Anderson, D. (2017). Motor learning and control: Concepts and applications (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. ISBN-13: 9781259823992 URL: https://www.gcumedia.com/digital-resources/mcgraw-hill/2017/motor-learning-and- control_concepts-and-applications_11e.ph

Seidler, R. D. (2010). Neural correlates of motor learning, transfer of learning, and learning to learn. Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, 38(1), 3-9.

Soderstrom, N. C., & Bjork, R. A. (2015). Learning versus performance: An integrative review. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10(2), 176-199.