Insights into motor memory interference among experts and competent individuals

Abstract

Memory interference can arise when multiple motor skill tasks are learned. A study by Nepotiuk and Brown (Nepotiuk AH, Brown LE. J Neurophysiol 128: 969–981, 2022) demonstrated that the susceptibility of motor memory to interference differs depending on expertise, using a vegetable-chopping task. The authors suggest that the motor memories of expert chefs and competent home cooks are organized differently. This Neuro Forum article offers an alternative explanation for their results and provides insights into motor memory processing in both experts and competents.