The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of high and low contextual-interference conditions on physiologic activation levels during the acquisition of a simple positioning task. 29 subjects, over 192 acquisition trials, learned to move to four positions in either a random (high interference) or blocked (low interference) sequence. Data on movement information, heart rate, and skin conductance were collected and analyzed. The movement data showed typical effects of contextual interference for acquisition that conformed to previously published findings. Heart rate was sensitive to the demands of movement extent. The high contextual-interference condition showed slower acquisition rates and higher activation levels as measured by skin conductance. It was concluded that changes in activation levels during practice may contribute or provide a sensitive index of contextual interference.
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