This text provides an introductory study of motor learning and control for students who aspire to become practitioners in exercise science, physical education, and other movement-oriented professions. Magill opens with an introduction to motor skills and control, continues through attention, memory, and learning, and ends with a discussion of instruction, feedback, and practice methods. The text's strong research base, clear presentation and practical applications will help students build a solid foundation in motor skills and prepare them for further exploration on their own.

Table of Contents

Unit I: Introduction to Motor Skills and Abilities 1 The Classification of Motor Skills 2 The Measurement of Motor Performance 3 Motor Abilities Unit II: Introduction to Motor Control 4 Neuromotor Basis for Motor Control 5 Motor Control Theories 6 Sensory Components of Motor Control 7 Performance and Motor Control Characteristics of Functional Skills 8 Action Preparation Unit III: Attention and Memory 9 Attention as a Limited Capacity Resource 10 Memory Components, Forgetting, and Strategies Unit IV: Introduction to Motor Skill Learning 11 Defining and Assessing Learning 12 The Stages of Learning 13 Transfer of Learning Unit V: Instruction and Augmented Feedback 14 Demonstration and Verbal Instructions 15 Augmented Feedback Unit VI: Practive Conditions 16 Practice Variability and Specificity 17 The Amount and Distribution of Practice 18 Whole and Part Practice 19 Mental Practice

Author Biography

Richard Magill is a professor in both the Department of Kinesiology and the Department of Psychology at Louisiana State University. He received his Ph.D. in educational psychology from Florida State University with a specialization in motor learning. Earlier he received an M.Ed. from Temple University and a B.S. from Philedelphia College of Bible. He served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport from 1996-1999 having previously served as the section editor for motor learning. He also serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Motor Behavior and has provided editorial assistance to numreous other motor learning journals around the world. Dr, Magill is widley published in refereed journals and has active in the service of Louisiana State University and numerous professional organizations. In April 1999 he was given the LSU Distinguished Faculty Award and in September he was the recipient of the endowed professorship, Helen "Bessie" Silverberg Pliner Professor in Kinesiology.