Perceptual and Motor Skills, 2010, 110, 1, 1-8. © Perceptual and Motor Skills 2010 DOI 10.2466/PMS.110.1. ISSN 0031-5125 1 Address correspondence to Prof. Maurizio Bertollo, Department of Basic and Applied Medi- cal Sciences, University “G. d’Annunzio,” Via dei Vestini, 31, 66013, Chieti Scalo (CH), Italy or e-mail (m.bertollo@unich.it). BLOCKED AND RANDOM PRACTICE ORGANIZATION IN THE LEARNING OF RHYTHMIC DANCE STEP SEQUENCES 1 MAURIZIO BERTOLLO AND MARIKA BERCHICCI Department of Basic and Applied Medical Sciences, Faculty of Human Movement Science Behavioral Imaging and Neural Dynamics Center University “G. d’Annunzio,” Chieti ATTILIO CARRARO Department of Educational Sciences Faculty of Educational Sciences Padova University SILVIA COMANI Department of Clinical Sciences and Bioimaging Faculty of Human Movement Science Behavioral Imaging and Neural Dynamics Center University “G. d’Annunzio,” Chieti CLAUDIO ROBAZZA Department of Human Movement Science, Faculty of Human Movement Science Behavioral Imaging and Neural Dynamics Center University “G. d’Annunzio,” Chieti Summary.—This study investigated the role played by Blocked (low contextual interference) and Random (high contextual interference) schedules in the acquisi- tion of rhythmic footstep sequences by adolescent females (N = 40, M age = 15.8 yr., SD = 1.3). Ater a baseline assessment (T 0 ), motor learning was assessed ater six ses- sions (T 1 ) in terms of the participants’ ability to reproduce the step sequences using visual and auditory guidance. A retention test (T 2 ) also occurred 21 days ater T 1 . Analysis of variance yielded signiicant main efects of group, test, and an interac- tion. Both groups improved performance from T 0 to T 1 , but the Blocked schedule group outperformed the Random schedule group at T 1 . Signiicant group difer- ences were not observed at T 2 . The Random schedule group’s performance did not signiicantly change from T 1 to T 2 , and the Blocked schedule group’s performance signiicantly decreased. Apparently, the learning of rhythmic footstep dance se- quences was not inluenced by practice organization. Motor learning has been deined as a relatively permanent change in the capability of a person to perform a skill as a result of practice (Magill, 2007). Learning is a set of internal, unobservable processes resulting in a changed underlying capability for moving (Schmidt & Lee, 2005), and it refers to the mechanisms by which the spatial and temporal accuracy of movements, either produced alone or in sequence, are performed ef- fortlessly through practice to execute an intended action (Willingham, 1998). Considerable scientiic consensus exists about the role played by the schedule of practice (contextual interference efect), the feedback giv-