This study investigated various frequencies of feedback known as knowledge of results (KR) in learning a motor skill. Participants included 21 persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 19 age-matched and education level-matched well elderly individuals who were randomly assigned to two groups; a 100% KR or 33% KR group. The task involved turning a knob that controlled the height of a column on a computer screen to match the height of a target column. Participants with AD who experienced the 33% KR condition performed significantly better in the retention and transfer tasks than those who experienced the 100% KR condition. This suggests that reduced frequency of KR may facilitate the retention and generalization of simple motor skills in persons with mid to moderate levels of AD. Replicating this study using a larger sample size will provide stronger evidence to help guide effective treatment protocols that facilitate motor skill performance.
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Rice et al. (2008) studied this question.
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