| Sumario: | The aim of this study was to determine whether the motor performance in a cross-transfer training design was influenced by having a goal associated with the training task. In this pre-test, training (unilateral), post-test design, 60 right-handed participants 18-62 years old were randomly assigned to a practice or a control group. The task involved cranking resistive wing nuts in and out of a test device. Participants who trained their left limbs had a greater pre-test post-test difference than participants in the control group (p<0.0001). A significant cross-transfer effect was detected in the left crank-in practice group (p=0.0090 for) but not in the left crank-out practice group, (p=0.3676). The practice groups' pre- and post-test difference in the untrained limb's performance was significant depending on the goal of the task (p=0.0214 for left crank-in practice group, p=0.0034 for left crank-out practice group). This study supports the occupational therapy core belief that participating in goal-oriented occupations can enhance motor performance. Cross-transfer effects were not bound to the contralateral homologous trained muscle groups, rather, it was the untrained muscle groups associated with the goal of the task that demonstrated the best performance in the time task.
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