Description:
It is important that the process of learning psychomotor skills is explored in depth by chiropractic educators so that these critical skills can be taught effectively. The learning of psychomotor skills is a complex phenomenon which is directly dependant on the environment in which the skill is learned and the inherent psychomotor skill learning capacity of the student. The tutor can have a significant impact on student learning by understanding the mechanisms of skill performance and seeing that the student receives proper feedback (both knowledge of results and internal feedback). Ultimately however the power of psychomotor learning lies within the student and is directed by his innate ability to feel, process, perform and analyze (the operation perspective). The purpose of this paper is to examine aspects of psychomotor skill learning as they pertain to chiropractic education, in particular learning the art of spinal adjusting.