EFFECTS OF CONTINUOUS AND INTERMITTENT FEEDBACK ON PRECISION IN APPLYING PRESSURE

In two experiments on learning a simple pressure response, when feedback regarding performance was given after every 10 acquisition trials (KP), acquisition was significantly poorer, but retention was significantly better, than when feedback was given after every acquisition trial (KR). In the first experiment, there was no significant difference between the two feedback groups in a post-acquisition and post-retention pressure test more precise than the training task. In the second experiment, a difficult-to-easy transfer series produced more transfer than an easy-to-difficult series The advantage of the second feedback method (KR) over the first (KP) in acquisition, and of the first over the second in retention, was similar for the two directions of transfer. An attempt to assess the effects of variation of the difference in difficulty between the first and second task of the transfer series over three levels of difficulty was inconclusive.