The motivational effects of generic and non-generic feedback on motor learning in twelve-year-old girls

Motivation and its conditions are among the most important environmental factors affecting learning. Non-generic feedback implies that performance is malleable, while generic feedback implies that task performance reflects an inherent ability. Therefore, each one has different motivational effects. This quasi-experimental study examined the motivational effects of generic and non-generic feedback on motor learning in twelve-year-old girls. The participants were 40 female students randomly assigned to two different groups-generic feedback (G-FB) and non-generic feedback (NG-FB). The task required participants to perform low kicks at a squared target area consisting of a piece of cardboard (measuring 50 cm wide and 50 cm high) attached to a wall and touching the ground, and placed at a distance of seven meters from the participants. Accuracy scores were analyzed in 2 x 4 (group*blocks) analysis of variance with repeated measures for the first experimental phase, and in 2 x 2 (group*blocks) analysis of variance with repeated measures for the negative feedback phase and the retention test. The findings show that both groups performed with similar accuracy across practice blocks. But on the second phase and no-feedback retention test, the NG-FB group indicated higher accuracy than the G-FB group. Therefore, it seems that that children’s motor performance, learning and motivation can be affected by the kind of augmented feedback provided during practice.