Actions have consequences, and the physical consequence of slipping improves motor learning, according to research recently published in eNeuro.
The brain refines movement in response to mistakes, especially ones that can be dangerous, like a slip or stumble. But in most laboratory studies of motor learning, mistakes have no physical consequence. In a study by Bakkum and Marigold, participants walked down a walkway and stepped their right foot on a target while wearing prism googles that warped their visual field and shifted everything to the right. In one group, the walkway hid a slippery surface to the right of the target. The participants slipped until they learned to adjust their steps to the left.
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