Psychomotor learning

According to Paul Fitts and Michael Posner's three-stage model, when learning psychomotor skills, individuals progress through the cognitive stages, the associative stage, and the autonomic stage. The cognitive stage is marked by awkward slow and choppy movements that the learner tries to control. The learner has to think about each movement before attempting it. In the associative stage, the learner spends less time thinking about every detail, however, the movements are still not a permanent part of the brain. In the autonomic stage, the learner can refine the skill through practice, but no longer needs to think about the movement. Factors affecting psychomotor skills • Psychological feedback • Amount of practice • Task complexity • Work distribution • Motive-incentive conditions • Environmental factors ==How motor behaviors are recorded==

The motor cortices are involved in the formation and retention of memories and skills. When an individual learns physical movements, this leads to changes in the motor cortex. The more practiced a movement is, the stronger the neural encoding becomes. A study cited how the cortical areas include neurons that process movements and that these neurons change their behavior during and after being exposed to tasks. Psychomotor learning is not limited to the motor cortex, however. ==See also==