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Jack PS, Austin JH, Sarah NK, Tony GJI, Shaun GB. A kinematically complex multi-articular motor skill for investigating implicit motor learning. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2024:10.1007/s00426-024-01987-0. [PMID: 38940820 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-024-01987-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024]
Abstract
Here we present a task developed to probe implicit learning of a complex motor skill. This task addresses limitations related to task complexity noted in the literature for methods investigating implicit motor learning, namely the serial reaction time task and continuous tracking task. Specifically, the serial reaction time task is limited by the kinematic simplicity of the required movement and the continuous tracing task faces time-on-task confounds and limitations in the control of task difficulty. The task presented herein addresses these issues by employing a kinematically complex multi-articular movement that controls factors that contribute to task difficulty: stimulus animation velocity and trajectory complexity. Accordingly, our objective was to validate the use of this task in probing implicit motor learning, hypothesizing that participants would learn one of the repeating stimuli implicitly. Participants engaged in six blocks of training whereby they first observed and then reproduced a seemingly random complex trajectory. Repeated trajectories were embedded amongst random trajectories. In line with the hypothesis, error for the repeated trajectories was decreased in comparison to that observed for the random trajectories and 73% of participants were unable to identify one of the repeated trajectories, demonstrating the occurrence of implicit learning. While the task requires minor alteration to optimize learning, ultimately the findings underline the task's potential to investigate implicit learning of a complex motor skill.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Solomon Jack
- Laboratory for Brain Recovery and Function, School of Physiotherapy, Dalhousie University, Rm 407, 4th Floor Forrest Building, 5869 University Avenue, PO Box 15000, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
| | - J Hurst Austin
- Laboratory for Brain Recovery and Function, School of Physiotherapy, Dalhousie University, Rm 407, 4th Floor Forrest Building, 5869 University Avenue, PO Box 15000, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada
- PhD Health Program, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
| | - N Kraeutner Sarah
- Neuroplasticity, Imagery, and Motor Behaviour Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, Vancouver, Canada
| | - G J Ingram Tony
- Laboratory for Brain Recovery and Function, School of Physiotherapy, Dalhousie University, Rm 407, 4th Floor Forrest Building, 5869 University Avenue, PO Box 15000, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - G Boe Shaun
- Laboratory for Brain Recovery and Function, School of Physiotherapy, Dalhousie University, Rm 407, 4th Floor Forrest Building, 5869 University Avenue, PO Box 15000, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada.
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.
- PhD Health Program, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.
- School of Health and Human Performance, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.
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Wilken S, Böttcher A, Adelhöfer N, Raab M, Beste C, Hoffmann S. Neural oscillations guiding action during effects imagery. Behav Brain Res 2024; 469:115063. [PMID: 38777262 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.115063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Goal-directed acting requires the integration of sensory information but can also be performed without direct sensory input. Examples of this can be found in sports and can be conceptualized by feedforward processes. There is, however, still a lack of understanding of the temporal neural dynamics and neuroanatomical structures involved in such processes. In the current study, we used EEG beamforming methods and examined 37 healthy participants in two well-controlled experiments varying the necessity of anticipatory processes during goal-directed action. We found that alpha and beta activity in the medial and posterior cingulate cortex enabled feedforward predictions about the position of an object based on the latest sensorimotor state. On this basis, theta band activity seems more related to sensorimotor representations, while beta band activity would be more involved in setting up the structure of the neural representations themselves. Alpha band activity in sensory cortices reflects an intensified gating of the anticipated perceptual consequences of the to-be-executed action. Together, the findings indicate that goal-directed acting through the anticipation of the predicted state of an effector is based on accompanying processes in multiple frequency bands in midcingulate and sensory brain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saskia Wilken
- General Psychology: Judgment, Decision Making, & Action, Institute of Psychology, University of Hagen, Hagen, Germany
| | - Adriana Böttcher
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany; University Neuropsychology Center, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Germany
| | - Nico Adelhöfer
- Donders Institute of Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Markus Raab
- Performance Psychology, Institute of Psychology, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany; School of Applied Sciences, London South Bank University, London, UK
| | - Christian Beste
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany; University Neuropsychology Center, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Germany; Shandong Normal University, Jinan, PR China
| | - Sven Hoffmann
- General Psychology: Judgment, Decision Making, & Action, Institute of Psychology, University of Hagen, Hagen, Germany.
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Böttcher A, Adelhöfer N, Wilken S, Raab M, Hoffmann S, Beste C. TRACK-a new algorithm and open-source tool for the analysis of pursuit-tracking sensorimotor integration processes. Behav Res Methods 2024; 56:433-446. [PMID: 36698001 PMCID: PMC10794298 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-023-02065-w] [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] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
In daily life, sensorimotor integration processes are fundamental for many cognitive operations. The pursuit-tracking paradigm is an ecological and valid paradigm to examine sensorimotor integration processes in a more complex environment than many established tasks that assess simple motor responses. However, the analysis of pursuit-tracking performance is complicated, and parameters quantified to examine performance are sometimes ambiguous regarding their interpretation. We introduce an open-source algorithm (TRACK) to calculate a new tracking error metric, the spatial error, based on the identification of the intended target position for the respective cursor position. The identification is based on assigning cursor and target direction changes to each other as key events, based on the assumptions of similarity and proximity. By applying our algorithm to pursuit-tracking data, beyond replication of known effects such as learning or practice effects, we show a higher precision of the spatial tracking error, i.e., it fits our behavioral data better than the temporal tracking error and thus provides new insights and parameters for the investigation of pursuit-tracking behavior. Our work provides an important step towards fully utilizing the potential of pursuit-tracking tasks for research on sensorimotor integration processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Böttcher
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Cognitive Neurophysiology, TU Dresden, Fetscherstraße 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, University Neuropsychology Center, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Nico Adelhöfer
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Cognitive Neurophysiology, TU Dresden, Fetscherstraße 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, University Neuropsychology Center, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Saskia Wilken
- General Psychology: Judgment, Decision Making, & Action, Institute of Psychology, University of Hagen, Hagen, Germany
| | - Markus Raab
- Performance Psychology, Institute of Psychology, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- School of Applied Sciences, London South Bank University, London, UK
| | - Sven Hoffmann
- General Psychology: Judgment, Decision Making, & Action, Institute of Psychology, University of Hagen, Hagen, Germany
| | - Christian Beste
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Cognitive Neurophysiology, TU Dresden, Fetscherstraße 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany.
- Faculty of Medicine, University Neuropsychology Center, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
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Böttcher A, Wilken S, Adelhöfer N, Raab M, Hoffmann S, Beste C. A dissociable functional relevance of theta- and beta-band activities during complex sensorimotor integration. Cereb Cortex 2023:7180375. [PMID: 37246154 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad191] [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: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Sensorimotor integration processes play a central role in daily life and require that different sources of sensory information become integrated: i.e. the information related to the object being under control of the agent (i.e. indicator) and the information about the goal of acting. Yet, how this is accomplished on a neurophysiological level is contentious. We focus on the role of theta- and beta-band activities and examine which neuroanatomical structures are involved. Healthy participants (n = 41) performed 3 consecutive pursuit-tracking EEG experiments in which the source of visual information available for tracking was varied (i.e. that of the indicator and the goal of acting). The initial specification of indicator dynamics is determined through beta-band activity in parietal cortices. When information about the goal was not accessible, but operating the indicator was required nevertheless, this incurred increased theta-band activity in the superior frontal cortex, signaling a higher need for control. Later, theta- and beta-band activities encode distinct information within the ventral processing stream: Theta-band activity is affected by the indicator information, while beta-band activity is affected by the information about the action goal. Complex sensorimotor integration is realized through a cascade of theta- and beta-band activities in a ventral-stream-parieto-frontal network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Böttcher
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, University Neuropsychology Center, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Saskia Wilken
- General Psychology: Judgment, Decision Making, & Action, Institute of Psychology, University of Hagen, Hagen, Germany
| | - Nico Adelhöfer
- Donders Institute of Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Markus Raab
- Performance Psychology, Institute of Psychology, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- School of Applied Sciences, London South Bank University, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sven Hoffmann
- General Psychology: Judgment, Decision Making, & Action, Institute of Psychology, University of Hagen, Hagen, Germany
| | - Christian Beste
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, University Neuropsychology Center, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
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The State-of-the-art of Research into Human Multitasking: An Editorial. J Cogn 2021; 4:54. [PMID: 34568746 PMCID: PMC8428299 DOI: 10.5334/joc.185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
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Broeker L, Ewolds H, de Oliveira RF, Künzell S, Raab M. The impact of predictability on dual-task performance and implications for resource-sharing accounts. COGNITIVE RESEARCH-PRINCIPLES AND IMPLICATIONS 2021; 6:1. [PMID: 33398471 PMCID: PMC7782670 DOI: 10.1186/s41235-020-00267-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to examine the impact of predictability on dual-task performance by systematically manipulating predictability in either one of two tasks, as well as between tasks. According to capacity-sharing accounts of multitasking, assuming a general pool of resources two tasks can draw upon, predictability should reduce the need for resources and allow more resources to be used by the other task. However, it is currently not well understood what drives resource-allocation policy in dual tasks and which resource allocation policies participants pursue. We used a continuous tracking task together with an audiomotor task and manipulated advance visual information about the tracking path in the first experiment and a sound sequence in the second experiments (2a/b). Results show that performance predominantly improved in the predictable task but not in the unpredictable task, suggesting that participants did not invest more resources into the unpredictable task. One possible explanation was that the re-investment of resources into another task requires some relationship between the tasks. Therefore, in the third experiment, we covaried the two tasks by having sounds 250 ms before turning points in the tracking curve. This enabled participants to improve performance in both tasks, suggesting that resources were shared better between tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Broeker
- Institute of Psychology, German Sport University Cologne, Am Sportpark Müngersdorf 6, 50933, Cologne, Germany.
| | - Harald Ewolds
- Institute of Sports Science, Augsburg University, Universitätsstraße 3, 86135, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Rita F de Oliveira
- School of Applied Sciences, London South Bank University, 103 Borough Road, London, SE1 0AA, UK
| | - Stefan Künzell
- Institute of Sports Science, Augsburg University, Universitätsstraße 3, 86135, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Markus Raab
- Institute of Psychology, German Sport University Cologne, Am Sportpark Müngersdorf 6, 50933, Cologne, Germany.,School of Applied Sciences, London South Bank University, 103 Borough Road, London, SE1 0AA, UK
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