Enhancing practice through gradual increases in contextual interference

Abstract

In a recent study, Porter and Beckerman (2016) investigated the influence of an “increasing schedule” of contextual interference on the learning of a continuous motor skill. Contextual interference (CI) refers to the phenomenon whereby the order in which skills or variations of skills are practiced has the potential to interfere with cognitive processes, and thereby influences both short-term performance and longer-term learning. Practicing the same skill for a block of trials or time, before switching to the next skill, induces low CI (also known as blocked practice).