Skill Acquisition: Stages of Learning

Skill Acquisition: Stages of Learning

Cognitive Stage

  • This is the initial stage of learning a new skill.
  • Characterised by a high number of errors and inconsistencies in performance.
  • The learner’s understanding of the task is poor.
  • Much of the focus is on understanding what is required and what needs to be done.
  • Visual guides and demonstrations are particularly effective at this stage as they allow the learner to form a mental picture of the skill.

Associative Stage

  • The learner starts to associate cues from the environment with the physical movements required to perform the skill.
  • The learner becomes more consistent and makes fewer errors.
  • The skill is becoming more automatic, reducing the need for cognitive thought.
  • The focus changes from what to do, to how to do it.
  • Feedback becomes less about direction (what to do) and more about adjustment (how to do better).

Autonomous Stage

  • The final stage where the skill has become automatic.
  • The focus can now be directed towards tactics or specific details.
  • The performance is fluid, consistent and efficient.
  • Feedback is more about finessing and perfecting the skill rather than correcting errors.
  • Learning has mostly been internalised making the learner less reliant on the teacher.

Fitts’ and Posner’s Model

  • This model describes the progression through the stages of learning.
  • Stressing the development of motor programs and the increasing automaticity of performance.
  • The model has been criticised for its linearity - suggesting that learners pass through these stages in a rigid sequence.

Performance Plateaus

  • These are periods of time in the learning process when no improvement in performance is seen.
  • Can be caused by lack of motivation, fatigue or a ceiling of ability.
  • Can be overcome by varying teaching or learning strategies, additional practice or rest periods.

Vickers’ Decision Training

  • Aims to bridge the gap between skills training and game performance.
  • The focus is on making quick, accurate decisions under game-like conditions.
  • Essential in sports where decision making is key to success - this strategy is often used in combination with the stages of learning.