PDFE #14

I think this lab was one of the most applicable. I came into it unable to juggle and by the end I was able to do pretty well. This may have been, in part, because of past experience with baseball which involved handling a ball of similar size to the one used for the experiment. However, regardless of past experience I think that using the part practice method is a very effective method for learning a skill such as juggling.
This reason the part practice method is effective is because this skill can be broken up into different parts. In order to master the skill it requires one to reach the point of being automatic with each ball. Because it is a rapid moving skill that does not give the participant much time to think. Breaking the skill up into the three separate parts we did allows the participant to slowly progress from an easier skill, tossing one ball, to the harder and eventually the hardest, juggling three balls.
This is not to say the practicing all the balls at one time is not an effective method. For some this method may be a shorter method. It truly depends on the learner and their past experiences. It also depends on the skill being learned. But in my lab experience, the learning using the part method had much more improvement compared to the participant who tried to learn all at once.
Two other types of practice that would have been effective for this practice would be spatial coordination and complex temporal coordination. Temporal coordination would help the participant do two different motions with his hands. This is necessary when juggling because neither hand will be doing the same motion at the same time. Spatial coordination would help the participant form a pattern of moving both hands in the necessary motions.
There are many different ways to practice. I think that each individual has a specific type of practice that will provide optimum performance. It is important to figure out which is the most effective for you in order to optimize performance of skills and everyday tasks