The Effect of Age-Related Changes and Explicit and Implicit Awareness on Mixed Motor Sequence Learning and its Consolidation

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the effects of age-related changes and explicit and implicit knowledge on mixed motor sequence learning and its consolidation. Materials and Methods: In this study, 96 right-handed boys who were healthy considering nervous system with age range of 6-18 years were selected via convenience sampling method. Serial reaction time task (SRTT) was used to evaluate and compare the performance in two components of response time and accuracy. The intervention was consisted of 10 stages (8 blocks for acquisition and 2 blocks for consolidation) in which the performances of groups were compared. The data were analyzed using mixed ANOVA test in 2 (type of learning) × 4 (age groups) × 8 (blocks) and Bonferroni test was used for paired comparisons. Results: In acquisition phase for response time, significant main effects were observed for block (P = 0.031) and age (P = 0.001), not learning conditions (P = 0.431). For response accuracy, significant main effects were observed for block (P = 0.001), age (P = 0.001) and learning conditions (P = 0.003). In addition, the performances of groups across the two first blocks of practice on the second day were better compared with the first day in response time (P = 0.001) and accuracy (P = 0.001), which represented the consolidation of motor learning. Conclusion: The findings showed that among different age groups, there were age-related functional changes in the acquisition and consolidation of response time and accuracy for motor sequence task. Moreover, the various components of the movement (speed and accuracy) can be performed and consolidated in different ways. This matter should be considered in educational and rehabilitation interventions related to children and adolescents.