What is skill?

Summary

This video defines skill, focusing on motor skills. It differentiates between skill as a task and skill as a quality of performance, outlines three key factors distinguishing skill levels, and contrasts motor skills with cognitive skills. The video concludes by detailing the characteristics required for a movement to be considered a motor skill.

Highlights

Defining Skill and Its Usage00:00:02

Skill generally refers to an activity or task with a specific purpose or goal. It can be used as a noun to describe the task itself, or as an adjective to indicate the quality of performance, such as 'a skilled golfer.'

Factors Determining Skill Level00:00:45

Three main factors determine skill level: the performer's consistency in achieving the task's goal, their ability to achieve the goal under varied conditions (e.g., different environments or pressure), and their degree of efficiency, demonstrated by strategy, attention focus, and minimal muscular effort.

Motor Skill vs. Cognitive Skill00:02:23

A motor skill (or action) requires voluntary limb movement to achieve a goal and causes a change in the environment or the person's relation to it. This differs from cognitive skill, which involves mental activity like decision-making or problem-solving without physical movement. Some tasks, like playing piano, require both.

Characteristics of Motor Skills00:04:08

Motor skills have a clear purpose, are performed voluntarily (not reflexively), require movement of joints and body segments, and must be learned or relearned. Blinking, for example, is not a motor skill because it's involuntary and not learned, unlike walking, which is a learned motor skill.