Figure 2.

Flexibility and associated constructs of learning. Each plot shows two hypothetical movement parameters (M1 and M2). Contours represent combinations of movement parameters that achieve the same task outcome, and so each point on a given contour represents a “movement solution” to achieve that task outcome (Latash et al., 2002). (A) Flexibility and transfer. Flexibility in the current definition refers to moving from a point on the contour to another point on the same contour (i.e., same task outcome, indicated in blue). Transfer on the other hand refers to moving from a point on the contour to a different contour (i.e., different task outcome, indicated in orange). (B) Flexibility and variability. Inferring flexibility directly from the observed movement variability can be difficult because the observed variability in movement patterns (shown inside the circle, with each dot representing a different trial) could either be a part of a movement repertoire with high (blue ellipse) or low flexibility (red ellipse). (C) Flexibility and skill. As skill levels and associated task performance levels go up, the degeneracy available in the system (shown by the ellipses) generally goes down. This makes it a challenge to find new solutions to achieve the same task outcome at high skill levels. (D) Flexibility and exploration. Exploration refers to the process of finding a new movement solution. Exploration can be quick when solutions are within the same movement pattern (indicated in blue). However, there may be regions on the contour that are unstable (indicated by the red band), which require prolonged exploration and creativity to find a qualitatively different movement solution (indicated in yellow).