The effect of Contextual Interference and Practice Type on the Consolidation of Elderly Motor Memory: An Examination of Cognitive Processes of Motor Imaging and Contextual Interference

Contextual interference and motor imagery are variables that affect motor learning. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of type of interference and practice on motor memory consolidation in the elderly in order to investigate the cognitive processes of motor imagery and contextual interference.

The statistical population of the present study was elderly 80-60 year old men and women in Qazvin city. Participants completed questionnaires of individual profile, Edinburgh handicapping, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality, motor imagery/version 3. According to the criteria for entering the research, 80 elderly people who did not experience the pass and dribble were selected as a statistical sample. The research included pre-test, acquisition, and retention test. The subjects were randomly assigned into 8 groups (Blocked physical, Randomized physical, Self-regulated physical, Yoked with Self-regulated physical, Blocked physical combined with motor imagery, Randomized physical combined with motor imagery, Self-regulated physical combined with motor imagery, Yoked physical combined with motor imagery). All participants were generally trained correctly in the pass and dribble basketball, then in the pre-test, they performed 10 attempts with the arrangement (2A2B). At the acquisition, the subjects of each group, according to their Scheduled practice (a total of 8 blocks of 10 attempts), practiced pass and dribble basketball skills. Retention test was performed 24 hours after the last acquisition block training session.

The results of covariance analysis with repeated measure showed that the self-regulated physical combined with motor imagery group in the acquisition and retention test had the best performance and the physical training group was weaker than other groups. The performance of the combination group with random arrangement was better than the combination group with blocked arrangement.