Dataset Information

Fluid intelligence and working memory support dissociable aspects of learning by physical but not observational practice.

ABSTRACT: Humans have a remarkable ability to learn by watching others, whether learning to tie an elaborate knot or play the piano. However, the mechanisms that translate visual input into motor skill execution remain unclear. It has been proposed that common cognitive and neural mechanisms underpin learning motor skills by physical and observational practice. Here we provide a novel test of the common mechanism hypothesis by testing the extent to which certain individual differences predict observational as well as physical learning. Participants (N?=?92 per group) either physically practiced a five-element key-press sequence or watched videos of similar sequences before physically performing trained and untrained sequences in a test phase. We also measured cognitive abilities across participants that have previously been associated with rates of learning, including working memory and fluid intelligence. Our findings show that individual differences in working memory and fluid intelligence predict improvements in dissociable aspects of motor learning following physical practice, but not observational practice. Working memory predicts general learning gains from pre- to post-test that generalise to untrained sequences, whereas fluid intelligence predicts sequence-specific gains that are tied to trained sequences. However, neither working memory nor fluid intelligence predict training gains following observational learning. Therefore, these results suggest limits to the shared mechanism hypothesis of physical and observational learning. Indeed, models of observational learning need updating to reflect the extent to which such learning is based on shared as well as distinct processes compared to physical learning. We suggest that such differences could reflect the more intentional nature of learning during physical compared to observational practice, which relies to a greater extent on higher-order cognitive resources such as working memory and fluid intelligence.

SUBMITTER: Apsvalka D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6711769 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Fluid intelligence and working memory support dissociable aspects of learning by physical but not observational practice.

Apšvalka Dace D Cross Emily S ES Ramsey Richard R

Cognition 20190514

Humans have a remarkable ability to learn by watching others, whether learning to tie an elaborate knot or play the piano. However, the mechanisms that translate visual input into motor skill execution remain unclear. It has been proposed that common cognitive and neural mechanisms underpin learning motor skills by physical and observational practice. Here we provide a novel test of the common mechanism hypothesis by testing the extent to which certain individual differences predict observationa ...[more]

PMID: 31100547

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Project description:Working memory has been examined extensively using the N-back task. However, less is known about the neural bases underlying individual variation in the accuracy rate (AR) and reaction time (RT) as metrics of N-back performance. Whereas AR indexes the overall performance, RT may more specifically reflect the efficiency in updating target identify. Further, studies have associated fluid intelligence (Gf) with working memory, but the cerebral correlates shared between Gf and N-back performance remain unclear. We addressed these issues using the Human Connectome Project dataset. We quantified the differences in AR (critical success index or CSI) and RT between 2- and 0-backs (CSI2-0 and RT2-0) and identified the neural correlates of individual variation in CSI2-0, RT2-0, and Gf, as indexed by the number of correct items scored in the Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM) test. The results showed that CSI2-0 and RT2-0 were negatively correlated, suggesting that a prolonged response time did not facilitate accuracy. At voxel p < 0.05, FWE-corrected, the pre-supplementary motor area (preSMA), bilateral frontoparietal cortex (biFPC) and right anterior insula (rAI) showed activities in negative correlation with CSI2-0 and positive correlation with RT2-0. In contrast, a cluster in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) bordering the SMA showed activities in positive correlation with CSI2-0 and negative correlation with RT2-0. Further, path analyses showed a significant fit of the model dACC → RT2-0 → CSI2-0, suggesting a critical role of target switching in determining performance accuracy. Individual variations in RT2-0 and Gf were positively correlated, although the effect size was small (f2 = 0.0246). RT2-0 and Gf shared activities both in positive correlation with the preSMA, biFPC, rAI, and dorsal precuneus. These results together suggest inter-related neural substrates of individual variation in N-back performance and highlight a complex relationship in the neural processes supporting 2-back and RSPM performance.

Dataset Information

Fluid intelligence and working memory support dissociable aspects of learning by physical but not observational practice.

Publications

Fluid intelligence and working memory support dissociable aspects of learning by physical but not observational practice.

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