[Elecraft] [OT] increasing CW copy speed: practice slow -v- practice fast

[Robert G Strickland]

The following comments/questions focus on increasing CW copying speed, 
not the task of initially learning the code. That said, there may be an 
overlap between the two tasks.

W1AW starts its CW practice speeds fast and then slows down. Presumably, 
as the speed get slower the mental demand lessens and copying becomes 
easier; then, ease of copying starts occurring at higher speeds over 
time/trials. From my days studying animal learning, I remember 
significant research to the effect that starting a new task in the 
easiest form [slow CW speed] lessened/prevented errors and, by the end, 
resulted in quicker and more accurate learning.

I tend to practice 3-letter groups at 35-40 wpm, 5-letter groups at 
30-35 wpm, and 7-letter groups at 25-30 wpm [for better or worse]. This 
is somewhat geared to DX contesting since call signs are not "words."

All that said, I'm starting to wonder if the animal study folks may have 
a point. How about the reverse of the above approach. For example, start 
with 3-letter groups at an error free speed, slowing increasing speed as 
long as the error rate stays under some value [5%, say]. Keep working at 
a given speed until the error rate is reached, then increment. Proceed 
in this fashion until a goal speed is reached. Then, repeat in the same 
fashion for longer letter groups. The same approach could be used with 
numbers, complete call signs, and sweepstakes type exchanges.

The general idea is to minimize the error rate so that only correct 
neural networks are formed in the brain. These can be slowly stretched, 
perhaps like increasing strength in weight training and increasing range 
of motion after orthopedic surgery, all the time working at the edge to 
slowly increase capacity. This might also be applicable to increasing 
the speed of characters as in the Farnsworth method. I'm interested in 
what folks think.

...rober
-- 
Robert G Strickland, PhD ABPH - KE2WY
rcrgs at verizon.net.usa
Syracuse, New York, USA