Sequential Motor Learning Transfers from Real to Virtual Environment

Abstract Background:Skill acquisition of motor learning between virtual environments (VEs) and real environments (REs) may be related. Although studies have previously examined the transfer of motor learning in VEs and REs through the same tasks, only a small number of studies have focused on studying the transfer of motor learning in VEs and REs by using different tasks. Thus, detailed effects of the transfer of motor skills between VEs and REs remain controversial. Here, we investigated the transfer of sequential motor learning between VEs and REs conditions.Methods:Twenty-seven healthy volunteers performed two types of sequential motor learning tasks; a visually cued button press task in RE (RE task) and a virtual reaching task in VE (VE task). Participants were randomly assigned to two groups in the task order; the first group was RE task followed by VE task and the second group was VE task followed by RE task. Subsequently, the response time in RE task and VE task was compared between the two groups respectively.Results:The results revealed that sequential motor learning was transferred when motor learning in VEs was performed after motor learning in REs, but not when motor learning in REs was performed after motor learning in VEs.Conclusions:These findings suggested that sequential motor learning in VEs can be facilitated by motor learning task consisting of the same sequence in REs even when different task is applied. These results may derive from the fact that motor learning in REs is more implicit than that in VEs.