What stage of skill acquisition is characterized by an emphasis on practice?

The stage of skill acquisition characterized by an emphasis on practice is the associative stage. During this phase, individuals have already grasped the basic fundamentals of a skill and are now focused on refining their performance through consistent practice. This stage is marked by increased accuracy and consistency, as learners begin to make more subtle adjustments and corrections to their technique based on feedback.

In the associational stage, individuals are no longer just thinking about what to do, as they did in the cognitive stage, where the focus is more on understanding the mechanics of a skill. Instead, the learner is actively working to consolidate their understanding and improve their execution, building muscle memory and developing more complex movements. As a result, the associative stage represents a crucial time for practice, allowing the athlete or learner to move closer to mastery of the skill.

The other stages, such as the cognitive stage, focus more on understanding and initial learning rather than practice. The autonomous stage involves high levels of proficiency where practice becomes more about maintaining and fine-tuning existing skills rather than learning or acquiring new ones. The rehabilitative stage does not pertain directly to skill acquisition in the same progression and is more context-specific to recovering from injury or improving function, rather than acquiring new skills through practice.