LAUSR

Developing approaches to improve motor skill learning is of considerable interest across multiple disciplines. Previous research has typically shown that repeating the same action on consecutive trials enhances short-term performance, but has detrimental effects on longer term skill acquisition. However, most prior research has contrasted the effects of repetition only at the block level; here we examined the effects of repeating individual trials embedded in a larger randomized block a feature that is often overlooked when generating random trial orders in learning tasks. With four days of practice, a "Minimal Repeats Group", who rarely experienced repeating stimuli on consecutive trials during training improved to a greater extent than a "Frequent Repeats Group", who were frequently presented with repeating stimuli on consecutive trials during training. Our results extend the previous finding of the beneficial effects of random as compared to blocked practice on performance, showing that reduced trial-to-trial repetition during training is favorable with regards to skill learning. This research highlights that limiting the number of repeats on consecutive trials is a simple behavioral manipulation that can enhance the process of skill learning. Data/analysis code and supplementary materials available at https://osf.io/p3278/.