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Flexibility in the control of rapid aiming actions

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Abstract

Across three different task conditions, the adaptability of reciprocal aiming movements was investigated. Task difficulty was manipulated by changing ID, with 9 IDs between 2.5 and 6.5 tested. Reciprocal aiming movements were performed with ID scaled (predictable) in a trial in a decreasing (high 6.5–low 2.5) or increasing manner (low 2.5–high 6.5) or with ID constant in a trial and changed randomly across trials. Movement time scaled linearly with ID in both the scaling ID and control ID presentations. A critical ID boundary (IDC) was identified, and the adaptation of aiming movements was a function of this critical boundary. For IDs < IDC, the results are interpreted as representing a predominance for pre-planned control based on a dwell time measure and a symmetry ratio measure (time spent accelerating–decelerating the limb). Within this ID range, movement harmonicity was changed to a greater extent when ID was scaled in a predictable direction as compared to being presented in a random manner. For IDs > IDC, the findings suggest a predominance for feedback control based on the dwell time and symmetry ratio measure. Within this ID range, the absolute time spent decelerating was increased, possibly to insure accuracy and minimize MT, with the predictable changes associated with an increase in ID needing less time devoted to feedback processing compared to the other ID presentations. The results are consistent with the theoretical position that aiming motions may be controlled by a limit cycle mechanism with ID < IDC, while aiming motions may be controlled by a fixed-point mechanism with ID > IDC. The results suggest that the ability of the motor system to adapt to both scaled and random changes in ID revolves around a modulation of pre-planned and feedback-based control processes.

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Notes

  1. Not all cyclical motion is characterized by a symmetric split of acceleration–deceleration time (Balasubramaniam et al. 2004). However, the task used by Balasubramaniam et al. (2004) was a temporal synchronization task and not a reciprocal aiming task.

  2. The vector field reconstruction performed by Huys et al. (2010) examined the position x(t) and velocity y(t) time series of the aiming action in the phase plane. The reconstruction was based on the first two drift coefficients that represent the velocity vector’s x and y components. For each velocity vector in the entire vector field, an angle θ was computed between every velocity vector and its neighboring velocity vectors. A fixed point exists when θ is approximately 180°. The analysis revealed that θ approached 180° when the aiming action reversed over the target for IDs > an effective ID = 5.41. This finding was interpreted as the system coming to rest on a fixed-point attractor over the target. For IDs < an effective ID = 5.41, the value of θ was small (<45°) as the aiming action reversed over the target. This finding was interpreted as the system exhibiting limit cycle dynamics.

  3. The change in W ranged from 11 to 50 % across the 9 IDs in Buchanan et al. (2006). Movement amplitude as measured to the center of the target (Fitts 1954) changed by 3 % for every change in W.

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Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Dr. Charlie Shea of Texas A&M University for the use of his rapid aiming apparatus to collect the data for this experiment. I also would like to thank Dr. Noah Dean for help in collecting and analyzing the data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health and Kinesiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-4243, USA

    John J. Buchanan

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Correspondence to John J. Buchanan.

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Buchanan, J.J. Flexibility in the control of rapid aiming actions. Exp Brain Res 229, 47–60 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-013-3589-y

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