Performance in fine motor task under different conditions of practice

Abstract

Aiming at investigating the effects of the practice types on a Fine Motor Task performance by undergraduate students of both sexes 48 subjects were randomly submitted to the following methodological protocol: Group à - pretest, mental practice, postest; Group B - pretest, physical practice, postest; Group C - pretest, mental practice in addition to physical practice, postest; Group D - pretest followed by postest. The data been colleted by means of two measures: the time spent and the number of errors made in the accomplishment of the task. The number of errors made was analysed by nonparametric statistics Kruskal-Wallis probe and Wilcoxon and U of Mann-Whitney all of which with a pre established significance level of p <= 0,05. The results indicated that the mental practice in addition to physical practice and physical practice in itself have obtained the best scores, in the number of errors made as well as in the time spent on the task.