Effect of varying amounts of rest on conventional and bilateral transfer 'reminiscence."

Abstract

Two parallel expts. were conducted in which rest periods of 10 sec, 30 sec, and 1,3,5, and 10 min. were introduced after 15-to 30-sec. trials of rotary pursuit performance. In one, expt. subjects practiced with the left hand before and after the rest (LL condition), while in the other expt. they employed the right hand before the rest and the left hand afterwards (RL condition). Gain over predicted massed practice scores was an increasing function of amount of rest for both conditions. The LL groups showed larger gains. For the LL conditions gain was a simple exponential function of length of rest up to about 10 min. The comparable function for the RL conditions showed less regularity, but the hypothesis is tenable that it is the same function approaching a lower asympotic value. In both conditions the superiority of the rest groups over the massed-practice groups disappeared with continued practice. It is suggested that the gains in bilateral transfer indicate the presence of temporary inhibitory factors either associated with generalized postural adjustment or of a perceptual or central character.