How does the acquisition of skill affect performance?

Characteristics of the learner

Key Messages

á       The learner brings many characteristics to the learning environment. These experiences and characteristics influence the capacity of the learner to acquire skills.

á       Personality, heredity, confidence, prior experience, and ability particularly influence the direction of the learning experience.

á       These characteristics influence the speed with which that person may acquire a skill.

Due to the uniqueness of individuals, we all learn at different rates. The speed at which an individual learns is dependent upon the combination of many personal characteristics. For learners there are countless variables at play in skill acquisition. They include inherited physical, social and emotional factors.

Inherited factors affecting skill acquisition include gender, age, race, somatotype (body shape), muscle-fibre composition, information processing-capacity and aptitude for the activity. These can be described as the natural ability of the athlete.

Try this acronym to remember the characteristics of the learner: PE CHAP

Prior
Experience
Confidence
Heredity
Ability
Personality

Prior experience
It is often easier to learn a new skill if similar movements have already been successfully acquired. This prior experience has the potential to accelerate the learning process. Some suggest that transfer of learning is an important reality in the acquisition of new skills. The degree to which prior experience influences skill acquisition and ultimately performance is variable among learners. If an individual has participated in an activity which involves similar qualities, such the hand/eye co-ordination found in hockey, they may be able to learn the skills involved in other sports such as cricket or golf more effectively. It can also be seen between sports such as basketball and netball, and gymnastics and diving.

Confidence
As an individual begins to learn skills and experiences success, they begin to develop a sense of self-belief in their ability to perform. Some level of confidence is internally generated, based on how the learner sees themselves (related to their personality). This confidence will then pass into the next level of learning. By learning and performing skills from a simple to a complex level, confidence will rise as the individual is more likely to experience success as they develop their skills. If however, they are given complex tasks early in their development and they experience frequent failure, confidence is more likely to fall, which may slow down improvements in the individual‰Ûªs skill level. Positive achievement enhances confidence, nurtures self- image and provides the foundation for future skill building.

Heredity
Heredity refers to genetic characteristics inherited from our parents. These are unchangeable and limit the dimensions of our potential. The environment determines if we can reach the limits set by heredity. Specific hereditary characteristics influence the potential for success in specific sports/skills.

• The characteristics of an activity vary in relation to the speed of movements and the length of time they are performed. The genetic make-up of the individual‰Ûªs muscles will determine to a large degree how successful they will be in their performance of different activities. An activity requiring fast, explosive movements such as jumping, throwing or sprinting require a large percentage of fast-twitch muscle fibre while longer endurance events such as distance running or cross country skiing require more slow-twitch muscle fibre.
• Athletes with a higher percentage of fast-twitch or slow-twitch muscles fibres are naturally more suited to sprint and explosive events or endurance events, respectively.
• A person‰Ûªs somatotype (body type/shape) can determine their suitability for many activities.
  • Ectomorphic bodies carry very little weight (skinny) and generally perform events such as high jump, horse racing (jockeys) and gymnastics.
  • Mesomorphic bodies are more muscular and larger than ectomorphic ones. Mesomorphs tend to make the best rowers, boxers and Australian Rules players.
  • Endomorphic bodies carry more weight and tend to be more rounded. They have an advantage in activities such as the throwing events or sports which require mass e.g. forwards in Rugby Union.
• Males have a significant advantage in developing strength and power due to their increased levels of testosterone. This plays a role in the rate at which improvement occurs for activities that require these characteristics. Most sports, however, are segregated into male and female teams so this difference means little in terms of competition.
• Differences in height provide considerable physical and biomechanical advantages.
• The ability to visualise a movement and make it materialise, otherwise known as conceptual ability, is an important factor in the early stages of learning.

It is important to remember that the ability to learn and success in competition are not the same thing. A person may not have the attributes to compete at an elite level; however they can still perform the skill using correct technique, for example high jump.

Ability
Ability is the ease with which an individual is able to perform a movement or routine. We often call these individual‰Ûªs gifted or talented as they often show ease and precision when executing a skill.å  Ability can also be seen in the way in which an individual is able to learn, process and implement new skills. Ability incorporates a range of factors, such as sense of acuity, perception, reaction time and intelligence, which combine to allow the individual to do readily what is intended.

Personality
Personality refers to an individual‰Ûªs characteristic way of behaving and develops as a result of infinite social interactions and learning experiences throughout life. From a motor learning point of view, certain aspects of personality tend to be favourable with certain learning environments for example elite coaches tend to select athletes not only with superior physical talent but also those who possess positive learning attributes such as determination, enthusiasm and dedication. Learners whose personality reflects positive ways of behaving are more receptive to instruction and advice, more cooperative in performing set tasks and more helpful in creating a productive learning environment. If they possess patience, a willingness to try new things, listen to advice and can co-operate with both other team members and the coach, they are more likely to have a positive outcome from a skill learning experience. If however an individual loses patience easily, cannot accept advice or cannot share experiences with others they will be slower in developing their skills.

Reflect on how characteristics of a learner relates to performance e.g.

á       Select sports and discuss the how the characteristics of the learner may influence skill acquisition and performance in this activity.