If learning occurs at full strength in one trial, how did Guthrie explain improvement in performance as a function of practice?
If learning occurs at full strength in one trail, then Guthrie explained improvement in performance as a function of practice. He identifies two different traits known as acts and movements and thus, distinguished between them. An act refers to a response that is made to varying configurations of stimulus. A movement can be defined as a specific response that is made to a specific stimulus of configuration.
An act consists of many movements, thus, skill consists of many acts. Hence, a skill such as playing golf, driving a car and typing letter consists of many numbers of acts that contributes to thousands of movements.
Guthrie assumed that learning is also considered as a movement such as firmness of grip that gives a specific speed of swing is learned in one trial and would require thousands of master of acting and the skill of putting. It is the defined way of order that skills and acts require the learning of different types of S-R associations that leads to the performance by improving with practice skills.