TY - JOUR
T1 - Sub-movement organisation, pen pressure and muscle activity are modulated to precision demands in 2D tracking
AU - Huysmans, M.A.
AU - Hoozemans, M.J.M.
AU - van der Beek, A.J.
AU - de Looze, M.P.
AU - van Dieen, J.H.
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - The authors investigated how tracking performance, submovement organization, pen pressure and muscle activity in forearm and shoulder muscles were affected by target size in a 2D tracking task performed with a pen on a digitizer tablet. Twenty-six subjects took part in an experiment, in which either a small dot or a large dot was tracked, while it moved quasirandomly across a computer screen at a constant velocity of 2cm/s. The manipulation of precision level was successful, because mean distance to target and the standard deviation of this distance were significantly smaller with the small target than with the large target. With a small target, subjects trailed more behind the center of target and used submovements with larger amplitudes and of shorter duration, resulting in higher tracking accuracy. This change in submovement organization was accompanied by higher pen pressure, while at the same time muscle activity in the forearm extensors and flexors was increased, indicating higher endpoint stability. In conclusion, increased precision demands were accommodated by both a different organization of submovements and higher endpoint stability in a 2D tracking task performed with a pen on a digitizer tablet. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.
AB - The authors investigated how tracking performance, submovement organization, pen pressure and muscle activity in forearm and shoulder muscles were affected by target size in a 2D tracking task performed with a pen on a digitizer tablet. Twenty-six subjects took part in an experiment, in which either a small dot or a large dot was tracked, while it moved quasirandomly across a computer screen at a constant velocity of 2cm/s. The manipulation of precision level was successful, because mean distance to target and the standard deviation of this distance were significantly smaller with the small target than with the large target. With a small target, subjects trailed more behind the center of target and used submovements with larger amplitudes and of shorter duration, resulting in higher tracking accuracy. This change in submovement organization was accompanied by higher pen pressure, while at the same time muscle activity in the forearm extensors and flexors was increased, indicating higher endpoint stability. In conclusion, increased precision demands were accommodated by both a different organization of submovements and higher endpoint stability in a 2D tracking task performed with a pen on a digitizer tablet. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1080/00222895.2012.727916
DO - https://doi.org/10.1080/00222895.2012.727916
M3 - Article
C2 - 23092353
SN - 0022-2895
VL - 44
SP - 379
EP - 388
JO - Journal of Motor Behavior
JF - Journal of Motor Behavior
IS - 5
ER -