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Dissertation Information for June P. Robinson

NAME:
- June P. Robinson

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- Health Sciences

SCHOOL:
- Indiana University (USA) (2005)

ADVISORS:
- Paul R. Surburg

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- David M. Koceja
- Paul R. Surburg
- David Gallahue
- Ruth Russell

MPACT Status: Incomplete - Not_Inspected

Title: Ethnicity, age, and the effects of contextual interference on the acquisition, retention and transfer of a motor task

Abstract: The problem. The problem of the study was to determine whether ethnicity and age impact acquisition, retention and transfer in the performance of a motor task.

Procedures. Eighty participants including 20 older and younger African-American adults and 20 older and younger European-American adults were randomly assigned to a block or random practice group. Participants depressed a white button with their forefinger coincident with the arrival of moving lights displayed on the Bassin Anticipation Timing apparatus. During the acquisition phase, participants in the block group performed 15 trials at each of the following velocities: 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 mi/hr. Participants in the random group performed 75 trials at velocities of 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 mi/hr with each velocity occurring no more than three consecutive times within 15 trials. Following a ten-minute interval, each participant performed 20 retention trials using the acquisition velocities. Participants then performed 10 transfer trials using velocities of 2 and 12 mi/hr. Performance scores for the acquisition, retention and transfer phases were calculated as absolute constant error.

Findings. Analysis of the data revealed that during acquisition, older African-American participants were slower during the block and random treatments than the older European-American group and older African-American participants in the block practice schedule performed slower than the older African-American group in the random treatment group. Both older ethnic groups performed slower than their younger counterparts for the block treatment. During retention, the older African-American participants were slower than their younger counterparts; and older African-American participants were slower than the older European-American participants. For transfer, the older ethnic groups were also slower than the younger groups during block treatment at a velocity of 12 mph. Older African-Americans in the block treatment group were slower than older European-Americans in the block treatment group at a velocity of 12 mph; and older African-American participants in the block treatment performed slower than older African-American participants in the random treatment group during a velocity of 12 mph. In conclusion, a limited contextual inference effect was found in this study.

MPACT Scores for June P. Robinson

A = 0
C = 0
A+C = 0
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2010-10-06 22:13:08

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