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Variable Practice

Statement of the Problem

The purpose of this lab experiment is to examine schema development through variable practice.

Reference

Chapter 10

Materials Needed

• Football • Tape • Wall • 220 cm (h) x 200 cm (w) target, divided into zones 20 cm high, mounted on the

wall (see Figure 1) • Individual Data Sheet • Group Data Sheet

Lab 10

© 2018 Cheryl A. Coker

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Figure 1 Target zone.

Procedure

The task to be performed is a long football snap toward a target. To perform this task, participants will place the ball at the starting location, bend down facing away from the target and snap the ball through their legs towards the target zone.

You will be divided into two groups. Group 1, the Constant Practice group, will perform 30 trials from the same starting location, 5m from the wall. Group 2, the Variable Practice group, will perform 10 trials at each of three different starting locations (4m, 5m, and 7m) for a total of 30 trials. You will work in pairs within each group, taking turns in the roles of experimenter and participant. The experimenter will record the point value of the zone the football made contact with on the target. At the completion of 30 trials, you will switch roles. Participants in both groups will then perform a 10 trial transfer test from a 6m distance.

© 2018 Cheryl A. Coker

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Results

1. Calculate your mean absolute (AE) and constant error (CE) scores for the practiceand transfer trials on the . Absolute error is theunsigned deviation from the target (in other words, perform the calculationwithout including the positive or negative sign). Constant error is the signeddeviation from the target.

2. Gather the mean AE and CE scores from the other members of Groups 1 and 2and record the mean scores for each individual into the appropriate column in theGroup Data Sheet.

3. Create a bar graph at www.onlinecharttool.com/graph?selected_graph=barillustrating the AE and CE group scores for the transfer test.

Discussion

1. Explain the effects of constant versus variable practice during (a) the practice phaseand (b) the transfer test.

2. Examine the bar graph illustrating AE and CE group scores. AE providesinformation about the magnitude of error while CE provides an indication ofdirectional bias or directional error tendencies. What do these two scores tell youabout the effects of constant and variable practice?

3. Do the results of this experiment support the notion that variable practicefacilitates schema development? Explain your response.

Individual Data Sheet

© 2018 Cheryl A. Coker

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Name: Date:

Individual Data Sheet

Practice Phase

Trial Distance Score

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

© 2018 Cheryl A. Coker

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Transfer Test

Trial Distance Score

1 6m

2 6m

3 6m

4 6m

5 6m

6 6m

7 6m

8 6m

9 6m

10 6m

Mean Absolute and Constant Error

AE CE

Practice

Transfer

© 2018 Cheryl A. Coker

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Name: Date:

Group Data Sheet

Participant Group Practice Retention

AE CE AE CE

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

MEAN

© 2018 Cheryl A. Coker