PDFE #12

In class on November 8, we learned about extrinsic feeback. Two ways to give feedback to a subject are by providing them with knowledge of their performance and knowledge of their overall results. Extrinsic feedback is crucial to the learning process, but individuals who receive it too frequently may become dependent on it and never fully develop the ability to evaluate their own performance. "Knowledge of performance" is a type of extrinsic feedback in which the person evaluating the task provides the individual performing the task with helpful details about their general performance. "Knowledge of results" is the type of extrinsic feedback in which the person performing the task is provided with information about the outcome of their performance.
For the lab, I partnered with Caysie and we were asked to take turns moving a pencil from one line to another. The distance between the lines never changed. We were each blindfolded for the task and each performed it 30 times. The only difference was I received feedback between every single trial, and she only received feedback when she requested it (10 out of 30 times). On average, my partner had a lower average of distance from the target line to her pencil mark than I did. Providing the knowledge of results worked better when it was provided only when requested. I believe that this can be attributed to my partner developing the skill to evaluate her own performance and also being able to get in a groove with moving the pencil. I, on the other hand, may have lost my groove while waiting to hear my results each time. The results matched the textbook because the partner with the lower average was the one who only recieved knowledge of results when she felt she needed it.
One factor that could have influenced the results is focus. My partner is a golfer and has developed an ability to focus in any situation. However, by our class time for Motor Learning and Behavior, my focus is usually shot. Also, many numbers of distances were being called out in the classroom at the same time during the tests. If one of us misunderstood a number called out by someone other than our partner to be our distance results, it might have affected the overall results.