For the sake of my skill-acquisition class, I am not just interested in attaining the skill of doing wheelies, but also in how that skill develops. As such, several performance measures will be tracked so that I can better understand the sub-components of ability and knowledge that contribute to my overall ability to keep my front wheel off the ground. The study will also incorporate several versions of some measures in an attempt to examine the nature of any transfer of learning.

The Wheelie

My larger goal is to be able to keep my front wheel off the ground. These are the performance measures that will be used to track that.

If in the end I am able to keep my front wheel off the ground for more time or more distance, I am exhibiting improved control. What kinds of things am I controlling better, specifically?

Arduino Data Logger

The physical measures of wheelie and control performance will be taken using an Arduino microprocessor board along with a special orientation sensor. This setup will log the bike’s orientation in 3D space many times a second. The data logger will record wheelie time, wheelie distance, and wheelie angle. Performance will be measured as the magnitudes of wheelie time and distance, variance of wheelie angle, and proportion of successful wheelie attempts.

Conceptual Knowledge

I feel like I have a general conceptual understanding of how to do a wheelie, but how will that change? What factors go into doing a wheelie? What parts of the bike are relevant?

Pathfinder Network Analysis Mental Model

My overall conceptual understanding will be measured with a mental model representation developed with the Pathfinder Network method using the JPathfinder software by Interlink Inc. The terms that will be integrated into the model will be compiled from a sampling of video and text resources related to learning how to do wheelies, simple physics, learning how to ride a bike, and the physical components of bikes.

Perceptual Ability

Even if I know the factors that go into doing a wheelie, I need to be able to recognize those factors. These measures of perceptual ability will track how well I do that. From my baseline understanding of wheelie performance, I expect these cues to mainly be visual and somatosensory (including sensations of balance and proprioception).

Static Bike Balance Task

I will build a metal frame that can be adjusted to support the front of the bike at various heights, thus holding it at various angles while I sit on it. The stand will have load cell sensors attached to an Arduino that will measure the weight that it is supporting in both the backwards and forwards lean directions. The bike angle will be set randomly each trial. I will attempt to orient my body in such a way as to achieve a center-of-balance that is directly above the back wheel. When I believe I am oriented correctly, the load cell sensors data will be logged for 5 seconds. Performance will be gauged by the maximum and average weights detected in each direction, as well as the variances of those weights. There will be two conditions of this task: one in which I am blindfolded, and one in which I am not.

Bike Lean Perceptual Matching Task

The metal frame and blindfold conditions described in the Static Bike Balance Task will also be used in this task. In the Bike Lean Perceptual Matching Task, there will be two responses that must be made each trial. Performance will be the accuracy and consistency of those responses.

  1. There will be a potentiometer with a knob attached to the handlebar oriented so that the direction of adjustment is perpendicular to the forward-backward lean direction. I must turn the knob so that its orientation matches the forward-backward angle of the bike’s lean. The counter-clockwise position-limit of the knob will represent an angle of 0 degrees.
  2. There will be another potentiometer with a lever attached to the handlebar oriented so that the direction of adjustment is parallel to the forward-backward lean direction. I must adjust the lever so that it is level with respect to the ground.

Balance Board

To determine if the improvements in balance that are expected to accompany improvements in wheelie performance are general, a balance board will be used in a test of far-transfer. Performance will be the average length of time in a balanced state over 10 trials.

Economy of Effort

Performance of a skill should be relatively “easy”, cognitively. Also, different stages of the learning process will likely place demand on different cognitive processes. These measures will track the magnitude of cognitive effort and where it’s being applied.

Dual-Tasks

My phone will be mounted to the handlebars in a position that allows me to complete these cognitive tasks from Lumosity while still operating the bike. Different tasks are used in an attempt to target different cognitive functions. The measure for each task will be dual-task costs in performance.

Lumosity: Speed Match (Working Memory, Perceptual Processing)

Lumosity: Star Search (Visual Search, Perceptual Processing, Selective Attention)

Lumosity: Pet Detective (Perceptual Processing, Spatial Reasoning)