A Framework for Understanding Pre‐practice Conditions and Their Impact on Learning

The purpose of this paper is to describe a framework for delineating those conditions that might affect the utility and effectiveness of practice in training. The framework includes factors that occur prior to, during, and after practice. Pre‐practice conditions, such as attentional advice, advance organizers, goal orientation, and pre‐training briefs, are designed to make the time spent in practice more efficient and useful. This paper first reviews the existing literature concerning the pre‐practice conditions that have been identified. Next, a description of the underlying mechanisms for each pre‐practice condition is suggested, and a set of propositions regarding these conditions is offered. Finally, past findings are summarized regarding pre‐practice conditions and provide an agenda for future research.