Effects of the different distributed practice regimes on the learning of three-ball cascade juggling task

BACKGROUND: In its majority, the literature supports the superiority of distributed practice compared to massed practice on motor learning outcomes. However, inconsistencies in some findings claim for more efforts on this topic. AIM: We aimed to elucidate potential mechanisms that would support the distinct results between the different distributed practice regimes (among days and within-one-day). METHOD: Ninety participants, aged 18-25 years (45 men, 45 women) were randomly divided into 3 groups: Massed practice group (MASSED) - 30 minutes of practice without rest/ one day; Within-one-day distributed practice group (WITHIN) – 6 blocks of 5 minutes of practice interspersed by 3 minutes of rest/ one day; and, Among days distributed practice group (AMONG) – 3 blocks of 10 minutes of practice divided into 3 consecutive days. They practiced the three-ball cascade juggling task. The number of catches was the dependent variable. There was a retention test (absolute retention and savings analyses) after 24 hours from the acquisition phase. RESULTS: We identified that AMONG demonstrated higher absolute retention than WITHIN and MASSED. Both distributed practice regimes demonstrated better savings than MASSED. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that distributed practice regimes enhance consolidation processes and information processing that benefit motor learning.