Course welcome

Course description

• Examination of the behavioural and psychological principles of motor control and motor learning for understanding motor skill acquisition.

Course description

• Examination of the behavioural and psychological principles of motor control and motor learning for understanding motor skill acquisition.

• This course uses a blend of lecture, discussions, and hands-on learning experiences. Lectures are twice a week (1 hr each) and labs are in alternating weeks (2 hrs each) based on your registered lab slot.

• All aspects of this course are in-person and lectures/labs are not recorded.

• There is no required textbook. Preparation for lectures and labs will involve engaging with assigned materials. Links to all required materials will be provided on Avenue.

Course learning outcomes

• List, explain, and calculate common measures used in motor control and learning.

• Identify and describe current theories and methods in motor control and learning.

• Describe the structure and function of peripheral and central nervous system components that support skilled behaviour.

• Interpret, discuss, and evaluate foundational experiments in motor control and learning.

• Identify, describe, and compare different conditions of practice for learning and why some are more effective than others.

• Create, justify, and present a motor skill learning intervention.

Course learning goals

• Locate, synthesize, and critically appraise relevant research.

• Differentiate scientific and non-scientific sources of information.

• Use effective strategies to work independently and collaboratively in small teams.

• Successfully navigate unforeseen challenges as they arise through independent and collaborative problem-solving.

• Apply effective time management techniques to deliver required course products on time.

University policies

Be sure to familiarize yourself with the following sections in the course outline:

Fall 2025 Teaching Assistants

Course communication

• All announcements will be made on Avenue.

• All email communication with myself or your teaching assistant must come from your McMaster email account.

• Please include “KINESIOL 2MC3” in the subject line of all emails.

• Emails should be limited to logistical or administrative matters (e.g., scheduling an appointment, clarifying a deadline, etc.)

• Questions related to course content will not be answered via email and should instead be raised during lecture, lab, or office hours.

• Before sending any email, be sure to check that the answer to your question is not already in the course outline or posted on Avenue

• If emailing me, you can call me Mike.

Course schedule

Course schedule

Course evaluation

• Lab participation - show up, participate, contribute to discussions, etc.
• Lab worksheets - submit completed worksheet by the end of the lab
• Team project - presentation in your lab slot on a motor learning intervention
• Final exam - will be scheduled by Registrar’s Office

Course bonus

• You are invited to participate in an experiment in the Action, Cognition, and Metascience Lab

• This is an opportunity to earn a 5% bonus towards your final exam grade

• You have until Friday, December 5, 2025 to complete this bonus

• Details on how to contact the research assistants will be posted on Avenue

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6w2UxDdhZPk

What is motor control?

• the study of the neural, behavioural, environmental, and synergistic mechanisms responsible for movement and stability (i.e., posture)

• How do the many different systems contributing to movement collectively organize to accomplish a desired goal?
• Do experts and novices use vision differently?
• Why is it difficult to pat your hand while rubbing your stomach?
• Why is it so difficult to stop movements once they have begun?
• Why are people good at some skills, but not at others?
• How do motor disorders affect skilled behaviour?

What is motor learning?

• the study of how motor skills are acquired and refined through practice and feedback, leading to relatively permanent performance gains

• How frequently should learners be provided with feedback?
• Should learners watch demonstrations by experts or novices?
• Should skills be learned in its entirety or as separate parts?
• How can a therapist or coach estimate a client’s potential for (re)learning a skill?
• Should practice emphasize consistency, or variability?
• Are there recognizable stages in the process of skill learning?

With those sitting around you…

1. The best measure of how well a person is learning a new skill is how they can perform the skill in practice.

2. Some people possess a genetically endowed, generalized capacity predisposing them to be good at virtually all motor skills (i.e., the “all-around athlete”).

3. Skills should never be practiced when a person is so fatigued that their performance of the skill suffers because doing so may lead to the learning of bad habits that can later prove hard to break.

4. When learners practice several different new skills during the same practice session, coaches should avoid interleaving the skills and instead have learners repeat each skill separately for a number of repetitions before moving onto the next skill.

5. An important goal of practice is the development of muscle memory.