Component and Total Task Relations at Different Stages of Learning a Complex Tracking Task

Abstract

Practice on a 3-dimensional complex tracking task was given to 203 Ss for 17 sessions extending over a period of 6 wk. Measures of 3 component performances (azimuth, elevation, and sideslip errors) and 2 total-performance criterion scores (integrated error and “time on target”) were obtained. The intercorrelations of these 5 measures at 10 critical stages along the learning curve were computed. The resulting 50 × 50 matrix of intertrial and intermeasure correlations was factor analyzed. The differential factor patterns, representing different combinations of part-whole relationships, provided insights into the skill-learning process at different stages of practice, and identified components related to eventual proficiency on the task.