Dance Better Learned by Observation Than by Spoken Instruction

Learning a dance sequence by visual observation is better than learning by spoken instruction, according to researchers from Bielefeld University and the Palucca University of Dance in Dresden.

Researchers studied whether dancers learnt a dance sequence better by observation or by listening to the dance instructors' spoken explanation. Study participants indicated that they preferred the visual learning modality and that they felt sure of themselves when performing if they had learned the dance sequence mainly by observing it.

Researcher Bettina Blasing said, "When a dancer learned the set of movements first by sight, later, they were better able to reproduce the dance phrase than if they had initially been taught the dance by listening to spoken instructions."

The study was awarded �Best Paper' at the conference of the German Society for Cognitive Science.

Source: Medindia