What is askill? What are the stages through which skill learning develops?

A skill isreferred to the ability to perform some complex tasks smoothly andefficiently. It consists of a chain of perceptual motor responses ora sequence of stimulus-response associations.

The stagesof development of skill learning are as follows:

(i) Cognitive − The learner has to understand and memorise the instructions to perform a task. In this, every external instruction has to be kept in the consciousness.

(ii) Associative − Different sensory inputs or stimuli are linked with appropriate responses. Further, errors decrease, time taken is reduced and performance improves with increase in practice.

(iii) Autonomous − The attentional demands of the associative stage decrease and interference of external factors is reduced. Skilled performance attains automaticity with minimal demands on conscious effort.