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Rewards interact with repetition‐dependent learning to enhance long‐term retention of motor memories
Author(s) -
Hamel Raphaël,
Côté Kathleen,
Matte Alexia,
Lepage JeanFrançois,
Bernier PierreMichel
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/nyas.14171
Subject(s) - psychology , repetition (rhetorical device) , asymptote , term (time) , motor learning , session (web analytics) , motor skill , cognitive psychology , developmental psychology , audiology , neuroscience , computer science , medicine , philosophy , linguistics , physics , geometry , mathematics , quantum mechanics , world wide web
The combination of behavioral experiences that enhance long‐term retention remains largely unknown. Informed by neurophysiological lines of work, this study tested the hypothesis that performance‐contingent monetary rewards potentiate repetition‐dependent forms of learning, as induced by extensive practice at asymptote, to enhance long‐term retention of motor memories. To this end, six groups of 14 participants ( n = 84) acquired novel motor behaviors by adapting to a gradual visuomotor rotation while these factors were manipulated. Retention was assessed 24 h later. While all groups similarly acquired the novel motor behaviors, results from the retention session revealed an interaction indicating that rewards enhanced long‐term retention, but only when practice was extended to asymptote. Specifically, the interaction indicated that this effect selectively occurred when rewards were intermittently available (i.e., 50%), but not when they were absent (i.e., 0%) or continuously available (i.e., 100%) during acquisition. This suggests that the influence of rewards on extensive practice and long‐term retention is nonlinear, as continuous rewards did not further enhance retention as compared with intermittent rewards. One possibility is that rewards’ intermittent availability allows to maintain their subjective value during acquisition, which may be key to potentiate long‐term retention.