Implicit motor learning: A new trend or an old attribute?

Abstract

An important distinction that arises from cognitive approaches to learning is between conscious and unconscious aspects of human behavior. Much human interaction with the environment takes place at a non-conscious level of awareness, yet humans display a pervasive tendency to acquire not only procedural knowledge but also declarative knowledge when learning motor skills. Usually, this knowledge is accrued by explicit hypothesis testing during an extended trial-and-error process of resolving a motor problem. Instructions from an agent (such as a coach) may add to the quantity of declarative knowledge that is accrued. The ability to test hypotheses and to store and manipulate information that can be used to make motor responses is made possible by the information processing capabilities of the brain. Implicit motor learning tries to discourage hypothesis testing about motor responses or to disrupt storage of information that can be used for hypothesis testing, thereby limiting the amount of declarative knowledge that is accumulated during learning. While it is unlikely that any form of human motor learning is purely implicit or explicit, implicit motor learning techniques appear to augment the role of non-conscious processes in motor performance and thus reduce potential destabilization of automatic movement by conscious thought processes.