Examining movement specific reinvestment and working memory capacity in adults and children

Abstract

Two studies were conducted to explore the relationship between verbal and visual working memory capacity, the propensity for conscious monitoring and control of movement, and performance of a novel tennis hitting task. In children (Study 1), verbal working memory capacity was positively associated with the score on a validated psychometric measure of the propensity for conscious monitoring and control of motor performance (the Movement Specific Reinvestment Scale). A similar relationship was evident in Study 2 for adults. Additionally, Study 2 showed that performance of a novel tennis hitting task improved during a pressured condition following an unpressured condition. Verbal working memory capacity predicted the amount of improvement in performance, with lower capacity performers displaying greater improvements than higher capacity participants. The findings are discussed in the context of cognitive demands of problem solving and hypothesis testing during early skill acquisition and implicit motor learning theory.