Abstract
This study investigated how consistently and accurately subjects could reproduce final movement position when performing three different movement tasks over four experimental sessions. Task 1 involved moving five different inertial loads over one movement distance. Task 2 involved performing movements over five different distances against a constant inertial load. Task 3 involved moving five distances against five inertial loads that were adjusted to keep movement time relatively constant. Subjects who had practised Task 1 demonstrated the largest decrease in variable error over experimental sessions but little change in constant error. Subjects who had practised Task 2 showed a smaller improvement in variable error and no improvement in constant error. Subjects who had practised Task 3 demonstrated a small change in variable error and an improvement in constant error. The largest reduction in variable error in the first group is consistent with the equilibrium-point hypothesis of motor control but not with force-control models. The improvement in constant error in the third group is discussed with respect to a possible role of noise in practising simple movements.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 101-114 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Human Movement Science |
Volume | 15 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 1996 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Biophysics
- Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
- Experimental and Cognitive Psychology