Abstract
It has been noted that manual aiming error and variability when pointing to remembered targets increase as a function of target eccentricity. In the present study we evaluated which one of three hypotheses (target localization, motor, or movement duration) best explains this 'distance effect'. In experiment 1, older and younger participants aimed with their unseen hand at the remembered location of targets distributed between 129 and 309 mm from the starting base. Target presentation time was of either 50 or 500 ms and aiming movements could be initiated following either a 100- or a 10,000-ms recall delay. Participants had either no constraints concerning movement time or were asked to reach the near target in a longer movement time than the farther targets. The results revealed a significant distance effect when no time constraints were imposed but showed a significantly reversed distance effect when the instructions were to reach the near targets in a longer movement time than the far targets. The same results were obtained regardless of target presentation time, recall delay, or age of the participants. These results supported a movement duration interpretation of the distance effect. In experiment 2, a distance effect was replicated when pointing with one's unseen hand toward a remembered target but did not take place when pointing to visible targets. Taken together these results suggest that prolonged movement execution interferes with the stored egocentric target representation.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.