Contextual interference effects on the acquisition, retention, and transfer of a motor skill.

This study was based on Battig's conceptualization that increased contextual interference during skill acquisition can lead to improved retention or transfer, especially under changed contextual conditions. Subjects learned three motor tasks under a blocked (low interference) or random (high interference) sequence of presentation. Retention was measured after a 10-min. or 10-day delay under blocked and random sequences of presentation. Subsequent transfer to a task of either the same complexity or greater complexity than the originally learned tasks was also investigated. Results showed that retention was greater following high interference (random) acquisition than after low interference (blocked) acquisition when retention was measured under changed contextual interference conditions. Likewise, transfer was greater for high interference (random) acquisition groups than for low interference (blocked) acquisition groups. This effect was most notable when transfer was measured for the transfer task of greatest complexity. These results are considered as support for Battig's conceptualization of contextual interference effects on retention and transfer. Implications for the teaching of motor skills are also discussed.