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Krüger M, Puri R, Summers JJ, Hinder MR. Influence of age and cognitive demand on motor decision making under uncertainty: a study on goal directed reaching movements. Sci Rep 2024; 14:9119. [PMID: 38643224 PMCID: PMC11032380 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-59415-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/22/2024] Open
Abstract
In everyday life, we constantly make decisions about actions to be performed subsequently. Research on motor decision making has provided empirical evidence for an influence of decision uncertainty on movement execution in young adults. Further, decision uncertainty was suggested to be increased in older adults due to limited cognitive resources for the integration of information and the prediction of the decision outcomes. However, the influence of cognitive aging on decision uncertainty during motor decision making and movement execution has not been investigated, yet. Thus, in the current study, we presented young and older adults with a motor decision making task, in which participants had to decide on pointing towards one out of five potential targets under varying cognitive demands. Statistical analyses revealed stronger decreases in correctly deciding upon the pointing target, i.e. task performance, from low to higher cognitive demand in older as compared to young adults. Decision confidence also decreased more strongly in older adults with increasing cognitive demand, however, only when collapsing across correct and incorrect decision trials, but not when considering correct decision trials, only. Further, older adults executed reaching movements with longer reaction times and increased path length, though the latter, again, not when considering correct decision trials, only. Last, reaction time and variability in movement execution were both affected by cognitive demand. The outcomes of this study provide a differentiated picture of the distinct and joint effects of aging and cognitive demand during motor decision making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Krüger
- Institute of Sports Science, Faculty of Humanities, Leibniz University Hannover, Am Moritzwinkel 6, 30167, Hannover, Germany.
| | - Rohan Puri
- Sensorimotor Neuroscience and Ageing Research Laboratory, School of Psychological Sciences, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
| | - Jeffery J Summers
- Sensorimotor Neuroscience and Ageing Research Laboratory, School of Psychological Sciences, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
| | - Mark R Hinder
- Sensorimotor Neuroscience and Ageing Research Laboratory, School of Psychological Sciences, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
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2
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Gussow AE, MacDonald MC. Utterance planning under message uncertainty: evidence from a novel picture-naming paradigm. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2023; 23:957-972. [PMID: 37188856 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-023-01103-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Language researchers view utterance planning as implicit decision-making: producers must choose the words, sentence structures, and various other linguistic features to communicate their message. To date, much of the research on utterance planning has focused on situations in which the speaker knows the full message to convey. Less is known about circumstances in which speakers begin utterance planning before they are certain about their message. In three picture-naming experiments, we used a novel paradigm to examine how speakers plan utterances before a full message is known. In Experiments 1 and 2, participants viewed displays showing two pairs of objects, followed by a cue to name one pair. In an Overlap condition, one object appeared in both pairs, providing early information about one of the objects to name. In a Different condition, there was no object overlap. Across both spoken and typed responses, participants tended to name the overlapping target first in the Overlap condition, with shorter initiation latencies compared with other utterances. Experiment 3 used a semantically constraining question to provide early information about the upcoming targets, and participants tended to name the more likely target first in their response. These results suggest that in situations of uncertainty, producers choose word orders that allow them to begin early planning. Producers prioritize message components that are certain to be needed and continue planning the rest when more information becomes available. Given similarities to planning strategies for other goal-directed behaviors, we suggest continuity between decision-making processes in language and other cognitive domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arella E Gussow
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1202 West Johnson St, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
| | - Maryellen C MacDonald
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1202 West Johnson St, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
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3
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Gussow AE. Language production under message uncertainty: When, how, and why we speak before we think. PSYCHOLOGY OF LEARNING AND MOTIVATION 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.plm.2023.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/29/2023]
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4
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David FJ, Rivera YM, Entezar TK, Arora R, Drane QH, Munoz MJ, Rosenow JM, Sani SB, Pal GD, Verhagen-Metman L, Corcos DM. Encoding type, medication, and deep brain stimulation differentially affect memory-guided sequential reaching movements in Parkinson's disease. Front Neurol 2022; 13:980935. [PMID: 36324383 PMCID: PMC9618698 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2022.980935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Memory-guided movements, vital to daily activities, are especially impaired in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, studies examining the effects of how information is encoded in memory and the effects of common treatments of PD, such as medication and subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS), on memory-guided movements are uncommon and their findings are equivocal. We designed two memory-guided sequential reaching tasks, peripheral-vision or proprioception encoded, to investigate the effects of encoding type (peripheral-vision vs. proprioception), medication (on- vs. off-), STN-DBS (on- vs. off-, while off-medication), and compared STN-DBS vs. medication on reaching amplitude, error, and velocity. We collected data from 16 (analyzed n = 7) participants with PD, pre- and post-STN-DBS surgery, and 17 (analyzed n = 14) healthy controls. We had four important findings. First, encoding type differentially affected reaching performance: peripheral-vision reaches were faster and more accurate. Also, encoding type differentially affected reaching deficits in PD compared to healthy controls: peripheral-vision reaches manifested larger deficits in amplitude. Second, the effect of medication depended on encoding type: medication had no effect on amplitude, but reduced error for both encoding types, and increased velocity only during peripheral-vision encoding. Third, the effect of STN-DBS depended on encoding type: STN-DBS increased amplitude for both encoding types, increased error during proprioception encoding, and increased velocity for both encoding types. Fourth, STN-DBS was superior to medication with respect to increasing amplitude and velocity, whereas medication was superior to STN-DBS with respect to reducing error. We discuss our findings in the context of the previous literature and consider mechanisms for the differential effects of medication and STN-DBS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian J. David
- Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Yessenia M. Rivera
- Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Tara K. Entezar
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana-Champaign, IL, United States
| | - Rishabh Arora
- Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Quentin H. Drane
- Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Miranda J. Munoz
- Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Joshua M. Rosenow
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Sepehr B. Sani
- Department of Neurosurgery, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Gian D. Pal
- Department of Neurology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, United States
| | - Leonard Verhagen-Metman
- Department of Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Daniel M. Corcos
- Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States
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5
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Tecilla M, Guerra A, Rocchi L, Määttä S, Bologna M, Herrojo Ruiz M, Biundo R, Antonini A, Ferreri F. Action Selection and Motor Decision Making: Insights from Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. Brain Sci 2022; 12:639. [PMID: 35625025 PMCID: PMC9139261 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12050639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Revised: 05/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In everyday life, goal-oriented motor behaviour relies on the estimation of the rewards/costs associated with alternative actions and on the appropriate selection of movements. Motor decision making is defined as the process by which a motor plan is chosen among a set of competing actions based on the expected value. In the present literature review we discuss evidence from transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) studies of motor control. We focus primarily on studies of action selection for instructed movements and motor decision making. In the first section, we delve into the usefulness of various TMS paradigms to characterise the contribution of motor areas and distributed brain networks to cued action selection. Then, we address the influence of motivational information (e.g., reward and biomechanical cost) in guiding action choices based on TMS findings. Finally, we conclude that TMS represents a powerful tool for elucidating the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying action choices in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margherita Tecilla
- Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, London SE146NW, UK; (M.T.); (M.H.R.)
| | - Andrea Guerra
- IRCCS Neuromed, 86077 Pozzilli, Italy; (A.G.); (M.B.)
| | - Lorenzo Rocchi
- Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, Italy;
- Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London WC1N3BG, UK
| | - Sara Määttä
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Kuopio University Hospital, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland;
| | - Matteo Bologna
- IRCCS Neuromed, 86077 Pozzilli, Italy; (A.G.); (M.B.)
- Department of Human Neurosciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Herrojo Ruiz
- Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, London SE146NW, UK; (M.T.); (M.H.R.)
| | - Roberta Biundo
- Department of General Psychology and Study Center for Neurodegeneration (CESNE), University of Padua, 35131 Padua, Italy;
- San Camillo IRCSS Hospital, 30126 Lido di Venezia, Italy
| | - Angelo Antonini
- Parkinson and Movement Disorders Unit, Study Center for Neurodegeneration (CESNE), Department of Neuroscience, University of Padua, 35131 Padua, Italy;
| | - Florinda Ferreri
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Kuopio University Hospital, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland;
- Unit of Neurology, Unit of Clinical Neurophysiology and Study Center for Neurodegeneration (CESNE), Department of Neuroscience, University of Padua, 35131 Padua, Italy
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6
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Onagawa R, Mukai K, Kudo K. Different planning policies for the initial movement velocity depending on whether the known uncertainty is in the cursor or in the target: Motor planning in situations where two potential movement distances exist. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0265943. [PMID: 35353863 PMCID: PMC8967013 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
During goal-directed behaviors, individuals can be required to start a movement before deciding on the final goal. Previous studies have focused on the initial movement direction in situations involving multiple targets in different directions from the starting position and have shown that the movement is initiated in the average direction among the target directions. However, the previous studies only included situations with targets at equivalent distances, and the characteristics of motor planning in situations with multiple movement possibilities over different potential distances are unclear. In such situations, movement velocity is another important control variable. Furthermore, while previous studies examined situations with an uncertain motor target position, uncertainty can also exist in the effector position (e.g., body or tool locations). Therefore, we examined (1) whether the average output is confirmed in the initial movement velocity during execution in situations involving two potential movements with different distances. In addition, we examined (2) whether planning of the movement velocity can differ depending on the presence of uncertainty in the cursor or the target. In the main conditions, the participants were required to start a reaching movement with two potential movement distances; in the two-cursor condition, two cursors were presented before the start of the trial, and in the two-target condition, two targets were presented. As a control condition, a distance condition corresponding to each main condition was also performed. In the control condition, the initial movement velocity varied linearly with distance. Then, we tested whether the initial movement velocity in situations with two potential movement distances would follow the averaging output of the corresponding control condition. The results revealed that while the initial movement velocity in the two-target condition was slower than the averaging output, that in the two-cursor condition approached the averaging output. These results suggest that the velocity profile of the goal-directed movement is not simply averaged in a situation where two potential targets exist, and that there is a difference in the planning policy of the initial movement depending on whether the known uncertainty is for the movement goal or the effector.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryoji Onagawa
- Laboratory of Sports Sciences, Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Research Fellow of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
- * E-mail: (RO); (KK)
| | - Kae Mukai
- Research Fellow of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazutoshi Kudo
- Laboratory of Sports Sciences, Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- * E-mail: (RO); (KK)
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7
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Modulation of initial movement for double potential targets with specific time constraints. Sci Rep 2021; 11:22492. [PMID: 34795339 PMCID: PMC8602633 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-01777-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
In goal-directed behavior, individuals are often required to plan and execute a movement with multiple competing reach targets simultaneously. The time constraint assigned to the target is an important factor that affect the initial movement planning, but the adjustments made to the starting behavior considering the time constraints specific to each target have not yet been clarified. The current study examined how humans adjusted their motor planning for double potential targets with independent time constraints under a go-before-you-know situation. The results revealed that the initial movements were modulated depending on the time constraints for potential targets. However, under tight time constraints, the performance in the double-target condition was lower than the single-target condition, which was a control condition implemented to estimate performance when one target is ignored. These results indicate that the initial movement for multiple potential targets with independent time constraints can be modified, but the planning is suboptimal.
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8
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Sensorimotor strategy selection under time constraints in the presence of two motor targets with different values. Sci Rep 2021; 11:22207. [PMID: 34782649 PMCID: PMC8593016 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-01584-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Goal-directed movements often require choosing an option from multiple potential goals under time constraints. However, there are limited studies on how humans change their time spent on decision-making and movement patterns according to time constraints. Here, we examined how sensorimotor strategies are selected under time constraints when the target values are uncertain. In the double-target condition, the values were uncertain until the movement onset and presented immediately afterwards. The behavior in this condition was compared to the single-target condition, in relation to time constraints and target-separation-angles. The results showed that the participants frequently used the choice-reaction even under tight time constraints, and their performance was consistently lower than that in the single-target condition. Additionally, in the double-target condition, differences in the movement trajectory depending on the time constraint and target-separation angle were confirmed. Specifically, the longer the time constraint, the higher the frequency of the intermediate behavior (to initiate movement toward the intermediate direction of two targets) or the change-of-mind behavior (to change the aiming target during movement). Furthermore, the smaller the target-separation angle, the higher the frequency of intermediate behavior, but the frequency of change-of-mind was not affected by the target-separation angle. These results suggest that the participants initiated the movement at an incomplete value judgment stage in some trials. Furthermore, they seemed to select a strategy to utilize the information obtained during the movement, taking into account the time constraints and target-separation angle. Our results show a consistent cognitive bias in choosing a higher value when multiple alternatives have different values. Additionally, we also suggest flexibility and adaptability in the movement patterns in response to time constraints.
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Lux V, Non AL, Pexman PM, Stadler W, Weber LAE, Krüger M. A Developmental Framework for Embodiment Research: The Next Step Toward Integrating Concepts and Methods. Front Syst Neurosci 2021; 15:672740. [PMID: 34393730 PMCID: PMC8360894 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2021.672740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Embodiment research is at a turning point. There is an increasing amount of data and studies investigating embodiment phenomena and their role in mental processing and functions from across a wide range of disciplines and theoretical schools within the life sciences. However, the integration of behavioral data with data from different biological levels is challenging for the involved research fields such as movement psychology, social and developmental neuroscience, computational psychosomatics, social and behavioral epigenetics, human-centered robotics, and many more. This highlights the need for an interdisciplinary framework of embodiment research. In addition, there is a growing need for a cross-disciplinary consensus on level-specific criteria of embodiment. We propose that a developmental perspective on embodiment is able to provide a framework for overcoming such pressing issues, providing analytical tools to link timescales and levels of embodiment specific to the function under study, uncovering the underlying developmental processes, clarifying level-specific embodiment criteria, and providing a matrix and platform to bridge disciplinary boundaries among the involved research fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Lux
- Department of Genetic Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Amy L Non
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Penny M Pexman
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Waltraud Stadler
- Chair of Human Movement Science, Department of Sports and Health Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Lilian A E Weber
- Department of Psychiatry, Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom.,Translational Neuromodeling Unit, Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Melanie Krüger
- Institute of Sports Science, Faculty of Humanities, Leibniz University Hannover, Hannover, Germany
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The Self-Prioritization Effect: Self-referential processing in movement highlights modulation at multiple stages. Atten Percept Psychophys 2021; 83:2656-2674. [PMID: 33861428 PMCID: PMC8302500 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-021-02295-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
A wealth of recent research supports the validity of the Self-Prioritization Effect (SPE)—the performance advantage for responses to self-associated as compared with other-person-associated stimuli in a shape–label matching task. However, inconsistent findings have been reported regarding the particular stage(s) of information processing that are influenced. In one account, self-prioritization modulates multiple stages of processing, whereas according to a competing account, self-prioritization is driven solely by a modulation in central-stage information-processing. To decide between these two possibilities, the present study tested whether the self-advantage in arm movements previously reported could reflect a response bias using visual feedback (Experiment 1), or approach motivation processes (Experiments 1 and 2). In Experiment 1, visual feedback was occluded in a ballistic movement-time variant of the matching task, whereas in Experiment 2, task responses were directed away from the stimuli and the participant’s body. The advantage for self in arm-movement responses emerged in both experiments. The findings indicate that the self-advantage in arm-movement responses does not depend on the use of visual feedback or on a self/stimuli-directed response. They further indicate that self-relevance can modulate movement responses (predominantly) using proprioceptive, kinaesthetic, and tactile information. These findings support the view that self-relevance modulates arm-movement responses, countering the suggestion that self-prioritization only influences central-stage processes, and consistent with a multiple-stage influence instead.
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11
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Onagawa R, Kudo K. Flexible planning of corrective responses for double-step reduction in the number of potential targets. Sci Rep 2021; 11:6899. [PMID: 33767296 PMCID: PMC7994396 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-86325-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans are often required to plan/execute movements in the presence of multiple motor targets simultaneously. Under such situations, it is widely confirmed that humans frequently initiate movements towards the weighted average direction of distinct motor plans toward each potential target. However, in situations where the potential targets change in a step-by-step manner, the strategy to proceed towards the weighted average direction at each time could be sub-optimal in light of the costs of the corrective response. Herein, we tested the sensorimotor strategy followed during a step-by-step reduction of potential goals. To test the hypothesis, we compared the corrective responses when the number of targets went from three to two, and when the number of targets went from three to one at the same time. As the results, weak corrections were confirmed when the number of targets was reduced from three to two. Moreover, the corrective responses when the number of targets went from three to two was smaller than the average behavior estimated from the corrective responses when the number of targets went from three to one at the same time. This pattern of corrective responses reflects the suppression of unnecessary corrections that generate noise and cost to the control system. These results suggest that the corrective responses are flexibly modulated depending on the necessity, and cannot be explained by weighted average behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryoji Onagawa
- Laboratory of Sports Sciences, Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. .,Research Fellow of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Kazutoshi Kudo
- Laboratory of Sports Sciences, Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. .,Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
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12
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Huberdeau DM, Turk-Browne NB. Visuomotor associations facilitate movement preparation. J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform 2021; 47:372-386. [PMID: 33475417 DOI: 10.1037/xhp0000895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Many motor skills require rapidly choosing a movement goal and preparing a movement to that goal, such as in sports where circumstances often change quickly and many actions are possible. Humans can benefit from learning the perceptual cues that predict the requirements of movement so that the choice of a movement goal and movement preparation can occur earlier. However, there remains uncertainty about how these perceptual cues are learned. Here we investigate the use and learning of these perceptual-motor associations. First, we ask if episodic memory for associations can support learning. In Experiment 1, participants first memorized associations between symbols and movement goals. When these symbols were subsequently presented as cues, reaching movements were prepared as efficiently as if the goals themselves were previewed, without the need for additional practice. Next, we ask whether statistical learning can be used to learn the associations. In Experiment 2, participants had to learn the associations during the movement task itself. This learning enabled efficient movement preparation, and the rate of improvement scaled with the number and complexity of associations. These findings suggest that movement preparation can be facilitated by perceptual cues via statistical learning and memory recall, highlighting a potential role for learning and memory systems not conventionally implicated in motor behavior. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
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