Behavioral Neuroscience, General Health Professions
93
Scopus Publications
Scopus Publications
Massed practice improves learning of serial motor skills Leandro Nogueira Dutra, Carlos Eduardo Campos, Cícero Luciano Alves Costa, Arthur Moreira Ferreira, Crislaine Rangel Couto, et al. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 2026 Memory encompasses the ability to encode, store, and consolidate information. Temporal spacing between events can influence information processing in working memory and impact memory consolidation. The effects of inter-trial spacing on working memory can be investigated by manipulating practice distribution. However, the effects of the spacing of practice on serial motor skill learning remain unknown. This study manipulated two different inter-trial intervals during the learning of a serial motor skill. We recruited 30 children, mean age of 9.4 ± 0.8 years, with no prior experience in the task of sequentially pressing four keys on a computer numeric keypad. Participants were randomly assigned into either a massed practice condition with a 2-s inter-trial interval or a distributed practice condition with a 30-s inter-trial interval. After 24 hr, testing phase was conducted in both massed and distributed conditions. We found that a short inter-trial interval promoted better memory consolidation and learning in both retention conditions, with massed practice demonstrating greater consistency than distributed practice in the distributed retention test. These findings suggest that shorter inter-trial intervals enhance memory consolidation and improve serial motor skill learning. We propose a different theoretical framework based on decay theory to explain the role of practice distribution in memory consolidation and learning.
Practice beyond performance stabilization increases the use of online adjustments to unpredictable perturbations in an interceptive task Crislaine Rangel Couto, Cláudio Manoel Ferreira Leite, Carlos Eduardo Campos, Leonardo Luiz Portes, Cíntia de Oliveira Matos, et al. Plos One, 2025 In recent decades, research has focused on motor adjustments in interception tasks within predictable environments. However, emerging studies suggest that continued practice beyond performance stabilization enhances the ability to adapt to unpredictable events. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of practicing until performance stabilization versus extended practice through superstabilization on the ability to adjust to unpredictable perturbations in intercepting a moving target. We hypothesized superstabilization would better facilitate motor adjustments in response to unpredictable perturbations. Forty participants engaged in an interception task until they achieved either performance stabilization or superstabilization. Subsequently, both stabilization and superstabilization groups were tested in an unpredictable environment, where, in certain trials, the target’s velocity unexpectedly changed after the onset of the movement. The findings revealed that the superstabilization group made more adjustments, showing more number of corrections (N-cor), in response to these perturbations than the stabilization group, attributed to their developed capacity to use online feedback as a control mechanism more efficiently. In contrast, the practice until performance stabilization did not foster this adaptive mechanism. These results support the notion that learning is a dynamic process that extends beyond the point of performance stabilization, emphasizing the benefits of continued practice for mastering motor tasks in variable contexts.
How do match location and opponent level influence complex I offensive strategy in men's volleyball? The case of the Brazilian Men's Superleague Marcos Henrique do Nascimento, Lorenzo Laporta, Pedro Henrique Cavalcante Vieira, Marcelo Couto Jorge Rodrigues, Augusto Cezar Rodrigues Rocha, et al. Journal of Human Sport and Exercise, 2025 Match analysis identifies patterns in both defensive and offensive systems and key performance parameters, which should be applied in the practice context. This study examined the offensive game patterns in high-level Brazilian men's volleyball, considering the opponent’s ranking and match location. The sample comprised twenty-two matches involving the top four teams competing against each of the twelve participants in the 2021/2022 Brazilian Men's Volleyball Superliga. Each team played both home and away matches, leading to an analysis of 1,699 Complex I attack actions. The results indicated that the highest eigenvector centrality values were observed for settings primarily directed to positions 3 and 4, regardless of the opponent. Attacks were typically executed by the middle blocker positioned in front of and near the setter against single blocks, frequently resulting in points. Variations were observed depending on the team’s rotation and the set phase. High-level Brazilian volleyball teams exhibited minimal variations in their Complex I offensive strategies. However, finalist teams demonstrated differences in the distribution and attack patterns of the middle blocker.
Motor Competence and Difficulty of Self-Set Goals on Motor Learning Brenner Ottero, Rafael Carvalho, Lívia Penido, Cíntia Matos, Rita Cordovil, et al. Journal of Motor Behavior, 2025 Motor competence is associated with the perceived difficulty of a task. This study hypothesized that children with higher motor competence perceive certain tasks as less challenging than their peers with lower motor competence. As a result, children with higher motor competence were expected to set more ambitious goals for themselves while learning a new task compared to children with lower motor competence. To investigate the relationship between motor competence and the difficulty of self-set goals during motor learning, we included 48 children aged between eight and ten years, stratified into terciles; our analysis focused on 32 children from the highest and lowest terciles. The experimental task required participants to throw a 100 g bean bag toward a target located 3 meters away. Children were instructed to set goals before each block of 10 trials during the learning phase. Pretest, retention, and transfer tests were administered without imposed goals. Motor competence was assessed using the Motor Competence Assessment, which integrates scores from the task used to evaluate motor learning and the percentage increase in each block to assess the difficulty of the self-set goals. The findings revealed no significant correlation between motor competence and the difficulty of self-set goals. Nevertheless, higher motor competence was linked to enhanced performance during the acquisition phase, retention and transfer tests. These results suggest that although motor competence is associated with improved motor learning, it does not influence the level of challenge of the goals that children set for themselves.
Social Network Analysis: Understanding Volleyball Dynamics through Match Opponents Marcos Henrique do Nascimento, Henrique de Oliveira Castro, Augusto Cézar Rodrigues Rocha, Auro Barreiros Freire, Gustavo Ferreira Pedrosa, et al. Applied Sciences Switzerland, 2024 The current investigation scrutinized the strategic approaches employed by the top four teams in the Brazilian Men’s Volleyball Superliga, according to the match’s opponent. The study encompasses the analysis of 22 matches, involving teams ranked first through fourth, competing against each of the 12 teams participating in the 21–22 season of the Brazilian Men’s Volleyball Superliga, including one home and one away match for each team. Social network analysis facilitated the identification of the interconnections and particularities among all variables, offering a comprehensive perspective. The findings unveiled that during the offensive phase, the second-, third-, and fourth-ranked teams consistently exhibited higher eigenvector values, irrespective of the opposing team, notably when the middle-blocker positioned themselves in front and near the setter. Conversely, the championship-winning team displayed variations in offensive tactics. The team securing the second position demonstrated alterations in setting placement, whereas the other teams executed settings aimed at zones 3 and 4. Additionally, the initial setter’s position at the commencement of a rally displayed varying eigenvector values based on the opponent, indicating team rotation as a performance determinant. Thus, barring the finalist team, the performance of the remaining teams is intricately intertwined with the individual characteristics of players.
DETERMINANT FACTORS OF ATTACK EFFICACY IN HIGH-LEVEL MEN’S VOLLEYBALL: WHAT DOES DISTINGUISH THE MIDDLE-ATTACKER PERFORMANCE? Gustavo De Conti Teixeira Costa, Isabel Mesquita, Patrícia Coutinho, Breno Ferreira de Britto Evangelista, Michel Milistetd, et al. Kinesiology, 2024 This study aimed to identify determinant factors of attack efficacy considering the effects of reception, attack tempo, attack performance, setting type and attack type. Firstly, 19,454 offensive actions of complex I of the Brazilian Volleyball Men’s Super League were considered and analyzed separately from the middle, wing, and opposite attacker standpoints. The middle attack was the most effective, so the 5,259 offensive actions were analyzed considering the setting type and the attack direction. The independent variables were the quality of reception, type and direction of attack, whereas attack performance was the dependent variable. We found that the middle attack efficacy was related to excellent receptions, right tempo and left tempo (near the setter), and power attack. The results can afford coaches with the key information for better training plan designs and preparation for competition.
Does Knowledge of Results Affect Motor Skill Learning and Adaptation in Interception-Like Tasks? Cláudio Manoel Ferreira Leite, Herbert Ugrinowitsch, Crislaine Rangel Couto Journal of Motor Learning and Development, 2024 Knowledge of results (KR), particularly its informational role, has often been regarded as redundant for learning interception-like tasks, such as coincidence–anticipation timing tasks. However, it is possible that the KR’s guiding effect might be detrimental to motor adaptation, instead of only redundant, leading to a dependency on KR and steering the sensorimotor system away from relevant information of the task. In this study, we aimed to investigate KR’s effect on learning a coincidence–anticipation timing tasks and on the adaptation to unpredictable perturbations. Two groups of participants practiced a coincidence–anticipation timing tasks with or without KR on 1 day and underwent testing the next day for learning (Retention test) and for adaptation to unpredictable perturbations (Exposure phase). Both groups exhibited similar learning results but failed to adapt to the perturbations, contradicting the assumption of negative guidance effects of KR and the positive effects of relying solely on intrinsic information (no KR). These findings suggest that motor adaptation may require specific information during the acquisition process, highlighting for more systematic analyses to understand this phenomenon better. Such insights could have practical implications in contexts like sports and rehabilitation, by providing learners with appropriate information for acquiring adaptive internal representations of tasks.
Kinematic Responses as a Control Strategy to Visual Occlusion Carlos Eduardo Campos, Cíntia de Oliveira Matos, Lucas Cléopas Costa da Silva, Paulo Rogério de Almeida Ribeiro, Crislaine Rangel Couto, et al. Communications in Computer and Information Science, 2022
Research on motor behavior in the year 2018 Leandro Nogueira Dutra, Matheus Henrique Santos Lucas, Arthur Moreira Ferreira, Cíntia de Oliveira Matos, Brenner Ottero, et al. Journal of Physical Education Maringa, 2021
Constant and random practice on learning of volleyball serve Herbert Ugrinowitsch, Cíntia De Oliveira Matos, Thiago Fernandes Neves, Guilherme Menezes Lage, Patrick Costa Ribeiro-Silva, et al. Revista Brasileira De Cineantropometria E Desempenho Humano, 2018
The effect of constant practice in transfer tests Guilherme Menezes Lage, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil, Tércio Apolinário-Souza, Maicon Rodrigues Albuquerque, Leonardo Luiz Portes, et al. Motriz Revista De Educacao Fisica, 2017
The combination of practice schedules: Effects on relative and absolute dimensions of the task Journal of Human Movement Studies, 2007
KR-delay interval effects in the acquisition of serial skills of different compatibility levels Journal of Human Movement Studies, 2006
Practice schedules and number of skills as contextual interference factors in the learning of positioning timing tasks Journal of Human Movement Studies, 2006
The contextual interference effect in a serve skill acquisition with experienced volleyball players Journal of Human Movement Studies, 2006
