Il comportamento umano è fortemente influenzato dalla motivazione che consente il perseguimento degli obiettivi sostenendo un'ispezione efficiente dell'ambiente circostante e consentendo l'esecuzione delle azioni motorie più convenienti per interagire con esso. La motivazione può essere manipolata con successo semplicemente somministrando rinforzi o punizioni in cambio di prestazioni comportamentali. Lo scopo di questa ricerca è stato quello di studiare come l'apprendimento di un modello comportamentale visuo-motorio possa essere influenzato da diversi contesti motivazionali. A questo scopo, abbiamo sviluppato un protocollo di training computerizzato in grado di indurre l'apprendimento di schemi motori specifici ed abbiamo esaminato le prestazioni in questa nuova attività in quattro diversi gruppi con differenti gradi di coinvolgimento motivazionale. I quattro protocolli adottati nei diversi gruppi sono stati: 1) senza alcun tipo di ricompensa o di informazioni sulla prestazione (Esperimento 1), 2) con un errore di retroazione, segnalando le prove con scarso rendimento (Esperimento 2), 3) con un incentivo monetario indicante la disponibilità di un premio variabile in funzione dell’accuratezza della prestazione nella prova che sarebbe seguita (Esperimento 3), 4) con un feedback monetario, offrendo una ricompensa variabile immediatamente dopo le prove con una performance accurata (Esperimento 4). La nuova attività visivo-motoria da apprendere consisteva nel muovere il dito indice sopra un potenziometro al fine di mantenere un cursore entro i confini di un percorso curvilineo che scorreva sulla schermo del computer. Il protocollo è stato caratterizzato da: 9 sedute di allenamento in giorni consecutivi, 3 sedute di ritenzione e 2 sessioni di test in tempi diversi dall'ultimo giorno di allenamento. In ogni sessione i partecipanti dovevano completare 160 prove. Negli esperimenti 3 e 4 i segnali di ricompensa venivano consegnati sia nel corso delle sessioni di allenamento che durante le sessioni di ritenzione. Nessun premio è stato consegnato durante le sessioni di test. Una prima analisi completa dei dati è stata effettuata attraverso l’analisi della varianza a misure ripetute (ANOVA) con Esperimento (da 1 a 4) come fattore tra soggetti e sessione come fattore entro soggetti. Nel complesso, il “Tempo In” (il tempo trascorso dal cursore all'interno del percorso in movimento) è aumentato notevolmente tra le sessioni, raggiungendo un plateau solo dopo 7 giorni dall'inizio dell’allenamento. Confrontando a livello globale la prestazione tra gli esperimenti, è stato chiaro che i punteggi più alti sono stati ottenuti dai partecipanti nell’Esperimento 4 ed i punteggi più bassi sono stati ottenuti nell'Esperimento 1. I nostri dati hanno mostrato che, con un alto impegno motivazionale, l’apprendimento motorio sviluppato in precedenza ed i suoi effetti sono stati più duraturi rispetto alla condizione in cui non era presente alcun feedback. In linea con la natura traslazionale di questo progetto, il passo successivo sarà quello di elaborare nuovi protocolli di allenamento visuo-motorio, con feedback gratificanti, al fine di 1) promuovere un più veloce ed efficiente recupero delle funzioni visuo-motorie nei pazienti con ictus cerebrale, 2) aumentare l'energia motoria e, in questo modo, facilitare l'applicazione e l'efficacia della maggior parte dei programmi di riabilitazione con pazienti con malattia di Parkinson.
Human behaviour is crucially driven by motivation, which allows the pursuit of goals by supporting an efficient inspection of the surrounding environment and by enabling execution of the more convenient motor actions to interact with it. Motivation can be successfully manipulated by simply delivering rewarding (or punishing) consequences in return to behavioural performance. The aim of this research was to study how the learning of a visuo-motor behavioural pattern may be influenced by different motivational contexts. To this purpose, we developed a computerized training protocol able to induce learning of specific motor patterns and examined performance in this new task in four different groups with different degrees of motivational engagement. The four protocols adopted in the different groups were: 1) without any kind of reward or feedback information (Experiment 1); 2) with an error feedback, signaling trials with poor performance (Experiment 2); 3) with a monetary incentive signaling the availability of a variable prize in turn for accurate performance in the forthcoming trial (Experiment 3); 4) with a monetary feedback, delivering a variable reward immediately after trials with an accurate performance (Experiment 4). The new visuo-motor task to be learned, required to move the index finger over a potentiometer in order to keep a cursor within the boundaries of a curvilinear path sliding across the computer screen. The protocol was characterized by: 9 sessions of training in consecutive days, 3 retention sessions and 2 test sessions at different time lags from the last training day. On each session participants had to complete 160 trials. In Experiments 3 and 4 reward signals were delivered during both training and retention sessions. No reward was delivered during the test sessions. A first, comprehensive data analysis was carried out through a repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Experiment (1 to 4) as the between-subjects factor and Session as the within-subjects factor. Overall, Time In performance (the time spent by the cursor inside the moving path) increased significantly across sessions, reaching a plateau only after 7 days from the beginning of training. By comparing the overall level of performance across experiments it was clear that the highest scores were obtained by participants in Experiment 4 and the lowest scores were obtained in Experiment 1. Our data showed that, under high motivational engagement, motor learning developed earlier, and its effects were longer lasting compared to the condition in which no feedback was present. In line with the translational nature of this project, the next step will be to devise new protocols of visuo-motor training grounded on these findings, pivoting on the delivery of rewarding feedbacks 1) to promote faster and more efficient recovery of visuo-motor functions in patients with cerebral stroke 2) to increase motor energy and, in this way, facilitate the application and improve the efficacy of most rehabilitation programs with patients with Parkinson’s disease.
The role of reward-based motivation in motor learning and performance
MAGALINI, Alessandra
2013-01-01
Abstract
Human behaviour is crucially driven by motivation, which allows the pursuit of goals by supporting an efficient inspection of the surrounding environment and by enabling execution of the more convenient motor actions to interact with it. Motivation can be successfully manipulated by simply delivering rewarding (or punishing) consequences in return to behavioural performance. The aim of this research was to study how the learning of a visuo-motor behavioural pattern may be influenced by different motivational contexts. To this purpose, we developed a computerized training protocol able to induce learning of specific motor patterns and examined performance in this new task in four different groups with different degrees of motivational engagement. The four protocols adopted in the different groups were: 1) without any kind of reward or feedback information (Experiment 1); 2) with an error feedback, signaling trials with poor performance (Experiment 2); 3) with a monetary incentive signaling the availability of a variable prize in turn for accurate performance in the forthcoming trial (Experiment 3); 4) with a monetary feedback, delivering a variable reward immediately after trials with an accurate performance (Experiment 4). The new visuo-motor task to be learned, required to move the index finger over a potentiometer in order to keep a cursor within the boundaries of a curvilinear path sliding across the computer screen. The protocol was characterized by: 9 sessions of training in consecutive days, 3 retention sessions and 2 test sessions at different time lags from the last training day. On each session participants had to complete 160 trials. In Experiments 3 and 4 reward signals were delivered during both training and retention sessions. No reward was delivered during the test sessions. A first, comprehensive data analysis was carried out through a repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Experiment (1 to 4) as the between-subjects factor and Session as the within-subjects factor. Overall, Time In performance (the time spent by the cursor inside the moving path) increased significantly across sessions, reaching a plateau only after 7 days from the beginning of training. By comparing the overall level of performance across experiments it was clear that the highest scores were obtained by participants in Experiment 4 and the lowest scores were obtained in Experiment 1. Our data showed that, under high motivational engagement, motor learning developed earlier, and its effects were longer lasting compared to the condition in which no feedback was present. In line with the translational nature of this project, the next step will be to devise new protocols of visuo-motor training grounded on these findings, pivoting on the delivery of rewarding feedbacks 1) to promote faster and more efficient recovery of visuo-motor functions in patients with cerebral stroke 2) to increase motor energy and, in this way, facilitate the application and improve the efficacy of most rehabilitation programs with patients with Parkinson’s disease.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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