Systematic Review of Errorless Motor Learning Effects Across Lifespan

29 studies with 1,509 participants were analyzed to assess the effects of errorless motor learning on movement outcomes. The meta-analysis calculated effect sizes (Hedges’ g) for performance and accuracy across subgroups including children, young adults, and individuals with impairments. The review found a significant large effect for learners with impairments (g = 0.804) and a moderate overall effect for movement accuracy (g = 0.854).

Use Cases

• Compare Hedges’ g effect sizes for movement performance between errorless and errorful learning groups to identify significant subgroup advantages.
• Analyze movement accuracy effect sizes across participant subgroups (children, young adults, learners with impairments) to determine where errorless learning is most beneficial.
• Assess the relationship between risk of bias ratings (ROBINS-I, RoB2) and the calculated effect sizes to evaluate evidence strength.
• Examine heterogeneity statistics (Q-statistic, I² index) across the 31 experiments to understand variability in study outcomes.

Strengths

• Analysis synthesizes data from 29 studies involving 1,509 total participants.
• Provides quantified effect sizes (Hedges’ g) for key outcomes like overall movement performance and accuracy.
• Subgroup analysis is performed for specific populations: children, young adults, and individuals with impairments.

Limitations

• The evidence base has limitations, with risk of bias rated from moderate to high and GRADE certainty ratings from very low to low.
• Substantial heterogeneity (I² index) was reported among the included studies, indicating variability in results.
• The dataset is a single document (175.7 KB DOCX) containing summary meta-analysis results, not the underlying raw study data.

Provenance

Source

Systematic review and meta-analysis by author Yuen Ting Wong, sourced from figshare.

Collection Method

Literature search of nine electronic databases (e.g., MEDLINE, Scopus) and grey literature, following a registered protocol (OSF).

Time Range

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Freshness

Last updated March 24, 2026.

Geography

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