STAGES OF SKILL LEARNING

& FACTORS AFFECTING

SKILL LEARNING
Week 2

Key Content
Stages of learning

Cognitive (understanding)
Associative (practice)
Autonomous (automatic)

Physical maturation
Physiological characteristics
Psychological characteristics
Stage of learning
Feedback
Experience / Memory
Amount and type of practice
Perceptual and motor ability

Factors affecting skill learning

Stages of Skill Learning

Terminology: skill learning = skill

acquisition
As we progress from a beginner to a
skilled performer we must pass
through different stages of learning

Cognitive (understanding)
Associative (practice)
Autonomous (automatic)

Cognitive Stage
Also known as the _____________ or what

to do stage
Skill is completely _____ to learner
Need to understand what the whole skill is,
what needs to be done, and how to do it
Trial and ______
Large number of errors
Improvement is usually ________

Cognitive Stage & Coaching

Read page 12 and make some notes

on how the coach or teacher can help

a learner at this stage
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Associative Stage
Also known as the _________ stage
Still make errors, but they are usually

smaller and ______ frequent

Refining skill, not learning new
movements
Can use own feedback to make changes
Gradual improvement

Associative Stage &

Coaching
Read page 12 and make some notes

on how the coach or teacher can help

a learner at this stage
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Autonomous Stage
Also known as the ____________ stage
A skilled performance is produced

automatically
Dont need to ________ about the steps
involved in producing the movement
Can analyse cues from the environment
Can detect and correct his/her own _______
Focus on tactics and strategies
Once in this stage, usually remain

Autonomous Stage &

Coaching
Read page 13 and make some notes

on how the coach or teacher can help

a learner at this stage
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Stages of Learning
Summary
Draw up the following summary table
and complete using your notes, text
and knowledge

Questions
1. Compare your skills in two sports (one

2.
3.
4.

where you are a beginner and one where

you feel your skills are more advanced).
Which stage of learning do you think you
are in for each sport?
Describe the characteristics of your skills
in each sport
How much practice and what type of
instruction have you had in each sport?
How has this affected your level of skill in
each sport?

Stages of Learning - Visual

See p.22 Nelson

Factors Affecting Skill

Learning
Acquiring skills is a different experience for
each individual

We know we all learn differently

Factors affecting skill learning

Physical maturation
Physiological characteristics
Psychological characteristics
Stage of learning
Feedback
Experience / Memory
Amount and type of practice
Perceptual and motor ability

Physical Maturation
Starting from when we are born our
bodies develop
This allows us to become more
physically _________ of performing
skills

Eg: Crawl, walk, run

Eg: 10 yr old learning shot put vs. 16 yr
old

Physiological Characteristics
Body composition
An increase in fitness = an ________ in
the ability to perform = an ________ in
the ability to learn

Eg: Greater endurance allows us to train

and practise for longer, which helps to
make practice and skill learning more
effective
Eg: Being able to complete a full 1hr netball
training session vs. being only capable of
completing a 20min session

Psychological Characteristics
What subjects do you
learn best in?
Why?

Motivation
Attention
Younger children have a
shorter attention span
than older children
This has an implication
on __________

Attitude
Personality

Stage of Learning
Whether you are in the cognitive,

associative or autonomous stage will

impact on skill acquisition
Will someone in the cognitive stage or
autonomous stage of throwing be able
to learn how to throw with their opposite
arm?
Why?

Feedback
Providing information about the

performance (feedback) is crucial for:

Learning and improvement to take place

Should provide information on:

Judgement errors
Technical errors
Possible solutions
Positive aspects

Feedback
Two types of feedback:
Knowledge of Results: Information about
the outcome of the ____________
Eg: The ball went through the goal posts
Knowledge of Performance: Information
about the characteristics of the
___________
Eg: You didnt bend your knees enough,
therefore the volley went into the net

Experience / Memory
Being able to recall past experiences

and techniques is important in

learning new and more complex skills
This way you dont have to completely
learn new motor programs
Eg: Being able to hit a serve in tennis can
be transferred across to an overhead in
badminton
Modifications are obviously required

Amount and Type of Practice

Physical and mental practice is vital in skill

learning
Practice provides an improved understanding
of the skill, as well as improving performance
A minimum of ten years of practice is required to reach an elite
level of performance K. Anders Ericsson, 1996

Agree / Disagree?

Perceptual & Motor Ability

Your body constructs a program based on

information from your senses

The ability to interpret or perceive the sensory
information is a key to learning and performing a
skill successfully
Anticipation is a form of recognising movement
patterns of team mates and opponents
Does Justin Koschitkze have good perceptual ability?

Having a good general motor ability will allow you

to acquire skills more easily

Think of that person who is a natural