The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of massed and distributed practice upon the learning by 8 autistic children of rotary pursuit tracking at 20 rpm. The massed practice group of four completed 10 30-sec. trials with 5-sec. rests for 10 consecutive days on the Photoelectric Pursuit Rotor. The distributed practice group completed 10 30-sec. trials with 30-sec. rests for 10 consecutive days on the same device. The results of a 2 × 10 × 10 (group × practice days × trials) analysis of variance with repeated measures on the last two factors indicated that learning occurred for both groups but no differences between groups were significant. It is suggested that further investigations into the applicability of motor learning principles to special populations be conducted using larger groups.
References
1.
AldertonH. R. (1966) A review of schizophrenia in childhood. Canadian Psychiatric Association Journal, 11, 276–285.
2.
AmnionsR. B. (1947) Rotary pursuit performance with continuous practice before and after a single rest. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 37, 393–411.
3.
BarnettC. C.CantorB. N. (1957) Pursuit rotor performance in mental defectives as a function of distribution of practice. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 7, 191–197.
4.
BrowingE. R. (1974) The effectiveness of long and short verbal commands in inducing correct responses in three schizophrenic children. Journal of Autism and Childhood Schizophrenia, 4, 59–71.
5.
CroweW. C.AuxterD.PyferJ. (1981) Principles and methods of adapted physical education and recreation. (4th ed.) St. Louis, MO: Mosby.
6.
DrowatzkyJ. N. (1970) Effects of massed and distributed practice schedules upon the acquisition of pursuit rotor tracking by normal and mentally retarded subjects. Research Quarterly, 41, 32–38.
7.
EllisH. C. (1978) Fundamentals of human learning, memory and cognition. (2nd ed.) Dubuque, LA: Brown.
8.
HungD. W.CostentinoA.HendersonE. (1978) Teaching autistic children to follow instruction in a group by using a firm physical prompting procedure. Journal of Behavioral Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 10, 329–338.
9.
JonesW. R.EllisN. R. (1962) Inhibitory potential in rotary pursuit acquisition by normal and defective subjects. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 63, 534–537.
KraftR. (1983) Physical activity for the autistic child. The Physical Educator, 40, 33–37.
12.
MagillR. A. (1985) Motor learning: concepts and applications. Dubuque, LA: Brown.
13.
MillerA. G.SullivanJ. V. (1982) Teaching physical activities to impaired youth: an approach to mainstreaming. New York: Wiley.
14.
MorinB.ReidG. (1981) Physical education for autistic children. Canadian Association of Health, Physical Education and Recreation Journal, 48, 25–29.
15.
MorinB.ReidG. (1985) A quantitative and qualitative assessment of autistic individuals on selected motor tasks. Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, 2, 43–55.
16.
MosherR. (1981) The role of motor programs in the development of autistic children. Canadian Association of Health, Physical Education and Recreation Journal, 48, 29–33.
17.
OrnitzE. M.GuthrieD.FarleyA. J. (1977) The early development of autistic children. Journal of Autism and Childhood Schizophrenia, 7, 208–229.
18.
SchmidtR. A. (1982) Motor control and learning: a behavioral emphasis. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
19.
SeamanJ. A.DePauwK. P. (1982) The new adapted physical education: a developmental approach. Palo Alto, CA: Mayfield.
20.
StrainP. S.CookeT. P. (1976) An observational investigation of two elementary age autistic children during free play. Psychology in the Schools, 13, 82–91.
21.
WaitersR. G.WaitersW. E. (1980) Decreasing self-stimulatory behavior with physical exercise in a group of autistic boys. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 10, 379–387.
22.
WingL. (1966) Diagnosis, epidemiology, aetiology. In WingJ. K. (Ed.), Early childhood autism. Oxford, Eng: Pergamon. Pp. 15–64.
