Differential mechanisms of action understanding in left and right-handed subjects: the role of perspective and handedness

2017

Symmetry

Abstract:The evolutionary origins of the human bias for 85% right-handedness are obscure. The Apprenticeship Complexity Theory states that the increasing difficulty of acquiring stone tool-making and other manual skills in the Pleistocene favoured learners whose hand preference matched that of their teachers. Furthermore, learning from a viewing position opposite, rather than beside, the demonstrator might be harder because it requires more mental transformation. We varied handedness and viewpoint in a bimanual learning task. Thirty-two participants reproduced folding asymmetric origami figures as demonstrated by a videotaped teacher in four conditions (left-handed teacher opposite the learner, left-handed beside, right-handed opposite, or right-handed beside). Learning performance was measured by time to complete each figure, number of video pauses and rewinds, and similarity of copies to the target shape. There was no effect of handedness or viewpoint on imitation learning. However, participants preferred to produce figures with the same asymmetry as demonstrated, indicating they imitate the teacher's hand preference. We speculate that learning by imitation involves internalising motor representations and that, to facilitate learning by imitation, many motor actions can be flexibly executed using the demonstrated hand configuration. We conclude that matching hand preferences evolved due to socially learning moderately complex bimanual skills.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Handedness and Viewpoint on the Imitation of Origami-Making

Uomini

2017

Symmetry

“…[31/36]) felt as if they were performing the nursing skill while seeing the VR-TM (rating > +1). Actually, previous studies in cognitive science reported that the first-person perspective facilitates visuomotor information processing and motor planning compared to the third-person perspective [6] [7]. Given these findings, it appears that observing the first-person video via the HMD enhanced the visuomotor processes in this study.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 55%

Exploring the Possibility of Virtual Reality in Nursing Skills Education: A Preliminary Study Using a First-Person Video

Shibuya¹,

Eto²,

Suzuki³

et al. 2019

OJN

Background: While demonstration videos from a third-person perspective have traditionally been used as teaching materials for nursing skills, first-person videos allow observers to experience how nursing educators move and what they see. In this pilot study, a first-person demonstration video for tracheostomy suctioning skills was shown to participants via a virtual reality (VR) head-mounted display (HMD), which we referred to as a VR teaching material (VR-TM). In an intervention experiment, we investigated the effects of the VR-TM on participants' performance on the skill assessment test. Additionally, usability of the VR-TM was evaluated by questionnaire ratings. Methods: Thirty-six participants (nursing students) were assigned to three groups in the experiment: 1) VR group: the participants that viewed the VR-TM, 2) TR group: the participants that viewed a traditional demonstration video from a third-person perspective, and 3) NO group: the participants that received no intervention. Score changes in the skill assessments of participants before the intervention (pre-test) and after the intervention (post-test) were analyzed. After the experiment, all participants completed a faculty-designed questionnaire about the VR-TM usability. Results: The questionnaire ratings indicated that the participants evaluated the VR-TM favorably in terms of skill understanding and motivation to practice the skill. However, one-third of participants reported mild discomfort during the VR-TM. In regards to score changes in the skill assessment test, no significant difference between the VR and TR groups was identified, though the two groups produced greater score changes compared to the NO group. Conclusion: The combination of first-person video and the HMD might be promising as a

“…It is also known that perspective of action may impact the action observation system and subsequent behavioral outcomes (Saxe et al, 2006;Kelly and Wheaton, 2013). It is possible that varying the perspective may substantially affect action observation training.…”

Section: 0 Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Perspective of Action Observation Training on Residual Limb Control in Naïve Prosthesis Usage

Cusack

Journal of Motor Behavior

et al. 2016

Prior work in amputees and partial limb immobilization have shown improved neural and behavioral outcomes in using their residual limb with prosthesis when undergoing observationbased training with a prosthesis-using actor compared to an intact limb. It was posited that these improvements are due to an alignment of user with the actor. It may be affected by visual angles that allow emphasis of critical joint actions which may promote behavioral changes. The purpose of this study was to examine how viewing perspective of observation-based training effects prosthesis adaptation in naïve device users. Twenty non-amputated prosthesis users (NAPUs) learned how to use an upper extremity prosthetic device while viewing a training video from either a sagittal or coronal perspective. These views were chosen as they place visual emphasis on different aspects of task performance to the device. We found that perspective of actions has a significant role in adaptation of the residual limb while using upper limb prostheses. Perspectives that demonstrate elbow adaptations to prosthesis usage may enhance the functional motor outcomes of action observation therapy. This work has potential implications on how prosthetic device operation is conveyed to persons adapting to prostheses through action observation based therapy.