Type of visual feedback during practice influences the precision of the acquired internal model of a complex visuo-motor transformation

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of the type of visual feedback during practice with a complex visuo-motor transformation of a sliding two-sided lever on the acquisition of an internal model of the transformation. Three groups of participants, who practised with different types of visual feedback, were compared with regard to movement accuracy, curvature and movement time. One group had continuous visual feedback during practice and two groups were presented terminal visual feedback, either only the end position of the movement or the end position together with the trajectory of the cursor. Results showed that continuous visual feedback led to more precise movement end positions during practice than terminal visual feedback, but to less precise movements during open-loop tests. This finding indicates that terminal visual feedback supports the development of a precise internal model of a new visuo-motor transformation. However, even terminal feedback of the cursor trajectory during practice did not result in an internal model, which includes appropriate curvatures of hand movements. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: This paper presents results on the influence of type of visual feedback on learning the complex motor skill of controlling a sliding lever. These findings contribute to the conceptual basis of optimised training procedures for the acquisition of sensori-motor skills required for the mastery of instruments utilised in minimally invasive surgery.

Augmented visual, auditory, haptic, and multimodal feedback in motor learning: A review

“…Evidence for this expectation of performance loss has been given in studies on simple motor tasks applying concurrent feedback or very frequent terminal feedback (Schmidt & Wulf, 1997;Van der Linden, Cauraugh, & Greene, 1993;Winstein et al, 1996). The guidance hypothesis is also supported by results of studies on visuomotor adaptation in simple motor tasks (Bernier, Chua, & Franks, 2005;Heuer & Hegele, 2008;Sulzenbruck & Heuer, 2011).…”

“…In these studies, the feedback about the movement resulted in a transformed cursor movement on the screen. After training, subjects were still adapted to the manipulated feedback if they had practiced with terminal feedback-that is, aftereffects were present-but not with concurrent feedback (Bernier et al, 2005;Heuer & Hegele, 2008;Sulzenbruck & Heuer, 2011). However, contradictory results have also been reported (Hinder, Tresilian, Riek, & Carson, 2008).…”

“…Accordingly, terminal feedback facilitates learning as soon as the learner is able to associate the terminal feedback with the prior performance. Before this ability is acquired, prescriptive terminal feedback, but also concurrent feedback, is suggested to be more effective (Sulzenbruck & Heuer, 2011).…”

Movement paths in operating hand-held tools: tests of distal-shift hypotheses

“…The stronger convex curvature of the path of the hand is accompanied by a smaller concave curvature of the path of the tip of the lever. The effect of the dynamic transformation on the curvature of hand paths in the absence of visual feedback has also been reported by Sülzenbrück and Heuer (2011) for movements in various other directions.…”

“…The apparatus was the same as that described by Sül-zenbrück and Heuer ( , 2010Heuer ( , 2011. As depicted in Fig.…”