Abstract
The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the applicability of Fitts' law in predicting the response duration of instruction-specific head movements for a person with severe multiple disabilities. Fitts' law is a motoric algorithm that calculates an index of difficulty (ID) for responses in relation to the variables of stimulus width and stimulus amplitude. Four functional tasks from the learner's current continuing education plans were targeted: photocopying, using a paint well, model painting, and communication symbol sequencing. For each of the four tasks, two sets of indices were calculated by (1) holding constant stimulus width while varying amplitude, and (2) holding constant stimulus amplitude while varying width. Results showed that response duration varied as a function of ID variation.
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Belfiore, P.J., Lim, L. & Browder, D.M. Increasing the efficiency of instruction for a person with severe disabilities: The applicability of Fitts' law in predicting response time. J Behav Educ 3, 247–258 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00961554
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00961554