Influence of Repeated Experience on Latency and Extent of Autokinetic Movement

Abstract

This study was designed to assess the influence of massed and spaced practice on the latency and extent of perceived autokinetic (AK) movement. Ss in the spaced group were tested on 5 separate occasions following a constant level of dark adaptation, while Ss in the massed group were tested in one session with an increasing level of dark adaptation. The log-latency scores (time from onset of AK light to onset of AK movement) decreased across trials for both groups, while the log-distance scores (verbal estimates of extent of AK movement) increased for the massed group across trials but not for the spaced group. These results suggest methodological precautions which should be observed in subsequent studies where autokinesis is used to measure isolation and sensory deprivation effects and in those studies involving repeated AK trials.