GCSE PE Revision (2)

Learning Movement Skills

• There are various definitions of learning but the predominant view is that experience gives us knowledge, which then influences the way we behave.
• Motor skills that are used in sport can be learned in a variety of ways.
• 3 of the main ways are: 
• 1. by making associations between what we see and hear (stimuli) and what we can do (response) by practicing or rehearsing actions.
• 2. by using trial and error.
• 3. by observing others then copying them.
• Practice and Rehearsal
• When first learning motor skills, we practice repetitive drills to encourage movements to become almost automatic.
• The response becomes conditioned for a certain stimulus.
• One issue with the drill style of teaching motor skills is that the participant does not gain an understanding of why they are doing something.
• This lack of understanding can limit future learning of more complex skills.
• Practice and rehearsal is more likely to work if there is a reward. 
• This is called positive reinforcement.
• Trial and Error Learning Of Motor Skills
• This involves the shaping of behavior through reinforcement.
• If a reward is given when a certain behavior takes place, then the learning takes place faster; this is called complete reinforcement.
• Partial reinforcement is when a reward is given after a number of correct responses. Learning will take longer in this method.
• Trial and error is widely used and is very effective in the learning of motor skills.
• Rewards are used extensively in teaching skills because they reinforce correct behavior.
• Others have argued that punishment is effective in modifying behavior but it can have bad side effects such as anxiety, depression, and a lack of motivation.
• The most effective method would be a mixture of punishment and reinforcement.
• Copying others - observational learning
• Many people believe that responses are not just learnt from association, but also from other people.
• Learning takes place through copying or imitating others.
• The person being observed is…