Visual target distance, but not visual cursor path length produces shifts in motor behavior

Abstract

When using tools effects in body space and distant space often do not correspond. Findings so far demonstrated that in this case visual feedback has more impact on action control than proprioceptive feedback. The present study varies the dimensional overlap between visual and proprioceptive action effects and investigates its impact on aftereffects in motor responses. In two experiments participants perform linear hand movements on a covered digitizer tablet to produce ∩-shaped cursor trajectories on the display. The shape of hand motion and cursor motion (linear vs. curved) is dissimilar and therefore does not overlap. In one condition the length of hand amplitude and visual target distance is similar and constant while the length of the cursor path is dissimilar and varies. In another condition the length of the hand amplitude varies while the lengths of visual target distance (similar or dissimilar) and cursor path (dissimilar) are constant. First, we found that aftereffects depended on the relation between hand path length and visual target distance, and not on the relation between hand and cursor path length. Second, increasing contextual interference did not reveal larger aftereffects. Finally, data exploration demonstrated a considerable benefit from gain repetitions across trials when compared to gain switches. In conclusion, dimensional overlap between visual and proprioceptive action effects modulates human information processing in visually controlled actions. However, adjustment of the internal model seems to occur very fast for this kind of simple linear transformation, so that the impact of prior visual feedback is fleeting.

Temporal persistence of after-effects in the n-1 replication task

“…It was found that the previous forward model was still in effect in the first trial after a gain change, and was fully adjusted to the current gain within five strokes. For the n replication task, Wendker et al (2014) demonstrated reduced after-effects in gain repetition-trials compared to gain changetrials. This benefit from gain repetitions expresses the adjustment of the forward model (Wolpert & Flanagan, 2001).…”

“…So far, most studies demonstrated those transient bindings in discrete motor actions that required an immediate response to stimuli. These studies found after-effects in terms of short-term biases (e.g., in a Simon task: Stürmer, Leuthold, Soetens, Schröter, & Sommer, 2002;; in motor replication tasks: Ladwig, Sutter, & Müsseler, 2012Perrotin & d'Alessandro, 2016;Sack & Sutter, 2017;Wendker, Sack, & Sutter, 2014). For instance, Ladwig et al (2012.…”

“…Such an adjustment can either appear in situations of a gain change between trials (e.g., changing from gain≠1 to gain=1, cf. Rieger et al, 2005;Wendker et al, 2014) or as refinement within a trial. Concerning our experiment, we assume that sensorimotor adaptation produces an internal model of the cursor-hand relation after even one trial of gain≠1.…”

Visual target distance, but not visual cursor path length produces shifts in motor behavior: a multisensory integration perspective

“…Wendker et al (2014) studied this phenomenon in a condition in which there where two sources of visual information available. First, participants were presented with two dots on a screen indicating movement starting point and movement target (visual target distance).…”

Multisensory Integration in Action Control

“…The contributions to the present research topic range from how information from different senses and action control are linked and modulated by object affordances (Garrido-Vásquez and Schubö, 2014), by task-irrelevant information (Juravle et al, 2013;Wendker et al, 2014; for a review see Wesslein et al, 2014), by temporal and spatial coupling within and between senses (Cameron et al, 2014;Mueller and Fiehler, 2014;Rieger et al, 2014;Sugano et al, 2014) to childhood development of multisensory mechanisms (Jovanovic and Drewing, 2014).…”