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In learning motor skills, different types of information can be utilized to reinforce correct execution of the skill. Over the years, augmented information after the movement (i.e., knowledge of results) has been the most widely studied and has received attention as the most important variable for learning. Recently, however, researchers have begun to focus on modeling or providing information prior to movement as another important aspect of skill learning. The present experiment compared a KR 100% condition with a KR 33% condition, with a final modeling plus KR condition on the acquisition and immediate transfer retention of a timing task. The results showed that all groups reached the same performance level by the end of acquisition. However, over the immediate transfer phase, subjects who had received modeling plus KR during acquisition, increased their errors. Delayed retention produced no significant group effects.

Military courts have had to face the issue of compulsive gambling in criminal court-martial proceedings. The military recently switched from the liberal ALI definition of insanity to the much more stringent standards of the federal Insanity Defense Reform Act. However, military courts have not even allowed in expert testimony, holding the relevance of compulsive gambling has not been generally accepted in the scientific community. The rules involving extenuation or mitigation in sentencing allow much more leeway. Although compulsive gambling cannot be used as the basis for a defense of insanity in military courts, defense lawyers will continue to raise the issue in attempting to obtain lesser punishments for their military clients.

The present study examined the potential interaction effects of using different instructional strategies with intrinsically and extrinsically motivated youths. Subjects whose motivation to participate in sports was either one of intrinsic mastery or extrinsic mastery were randomly placed in one of two instructional groups: knowledge of results (KR) or knowledge of performance (KP). All four groups received a videotaped, modeled demonstration of the skill to be learned, the tennis forehand. Subjects participated in a 3-day acquisition period and a 1-day testing phase, during which both form and outcome scores were recorded. Analysis of acquisition outcome scores yielded no significant differences between motivational orientation or instructional groups. Multivariate analysis of the test phase outcome and form scores revealed significant group differences, as well as significant group-by-motivation and group-by-blocks interactions. Subsequent discriminant analyses indicated that form scores were more affected than outcome scores by the instructional and motivational group manipulations. The interaction results of the test phase supported the prediction of different performance effects as a function of motivational orientation and instructional strategy.

In recent years, researchers have begun to focus attention on how skills are learned from modeling or demonstrations. One point that has received limited interest is the modalities that are presented during demonstrations. Doody, Bird, and Ross (1985) investigated the potency of various modalities for enhancing the cognitive representation for a timing task. During an immediate transfer test, subjects who received either an auditory or auditory plus visual presentation performed better than subjects who received visual demonstrations or physical practice with knowledge of results. Doody et al. interpreted these findings as support for the effectiveness of modeling over physical practice with knowledge of results (KR). Our experiment attempted to extend these findings and determine the potency of modeling independent of KR. Because all subjects in the Doody et al. experiment received KR, it is not known whether subjects can develop an accurate representation from modeling alone. The findings produced the o...