Comparing the effect of concurrent and delayed visual feedback on consolidating motor memory in force control

The capability of applying a weak force with expected accuracy is an important motor skill in surgical operations. Acquiring such a skill is challenging for novices. In this paper, we studied how the accuracy of the force control could be enhanced through repetitive training. Twelve participants were divided into two groups. They were trained to apply a target force of 0.25N with ±20% accuracy under concurrent visual feedback (Group A) and delayed visual feedback (Group B). After each training session, a test was conducted to measure the force applied by participants without any feedback. The results show that Group B achieved the expected accuracy faster than Group A. The experimental data suggests that the delayed visual feedback appears to be more effective on consolidating motor memory in the force control task. Our finding opens a new opportunity to further explore the relationship between feedback and cognitive process (i.e. attention and motor memory) of motor skill learning.