A new dual-phase model for learning industrial tasks is presented, bas
ed on the combined effects of cognitive and motor processes. The model
proposes that cognitive elements dominate learning during the early c
ycles, whereas motor elements dominate the learning process as the num
ber of repetitions becomes large. The implication is that the observed
learning slope is a variable whose value gradually increases as exper
ience is gained. Experimental studies are described whose results supp
ort the behavior of the dual-phase learning model.