The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of objects with different attributes on motor control in the act of reaching for them. Much about reaching has been studied from the point of view of spatial relations between objects and subjects, and kinematic approaches have played an important role in this field. Recently, some researchers have proposed that factors other than spatial relations characterize reaching. Therefore, we focused on reaching for an empty glass (empty condition) and a water-filled glass (filled condition) where the positions of the glasses were the same to examine the importance of the objects when reaching for them. Eight young adults participated. We translated the position of the index finger into X-Y-Z coordinate values and examined movement time, length of trajectory, and velocity between the empty and filled conditions. It took longer to reach for an empty than a filled glass, and the filled condition showed a longer trajectory and slower velocity than the empty condition. This indicated that objects with different attributes influenced the reaching and that the role of cognition of attributes is important in the act of reaching.

No abstract

Despite recent developments in measurement tools to assess the quality of life of individuals with intellectual disability, little is known about the cultural aspects that affect their quality of life. This study examined the universal and cultural characteristics of the quality of life of individuals with intellectual disability in Denmark and Japan through a factor analysis of the Personal Outcomes Scale and analysing qualitative comments in both self-report and report-of-others components of the scale. Factor analysis and qualitative comments in self-report showed that personal development and self-determination, as well as well-being and social participation, were experienced as important components of quality of life in Denmark. Conversely, personal development and self-determination were less frequently mentioned in Japan. The findings reflect the general characteristics of quality of life in each culture and the current conditions of independence and available support for individuals with intellectual disability in Denmark and Japan.

No abstract

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of visual feedback on aimed limb movements in individuals with mental retardation, by measuring movernent time (MT), the ratio of the ballistic control phase to the corrective control phase (RBC), and the ratio of peak velocity to movement time (RPM) of the velocity curve. 24 individuals without mental retardation and 23 individuals with mental retardation participated in this experiment. They performed aimed movements under both a vision condition (VC) and a no-vision condition (NVC). We found that both groups performed the movements more quickly in the vision condition than in the no-vision condition, and that the ratio of the ballistic control phase to the corrective control phase, and the ratio of peak velocity to movement time, were not influenced by the eflect of visual feedback, although there was a difference in the ratio 6f peak velocity to movement time between groups. The results suggest that individuals with mental retardation are better than might be expected at planning their airped movements in advance.