Analysis of strategies employed during upper extremity positioning actions

Abstract

This article describes the study of motor actions associated with positioning of extremities. These actions are arm movements of varying positions. Studies of such motor actions are important due to various applications of these motions. In this article, positioning motor actions are observed from a systemic-structural activity theory point of view. Previous research studied positioning motor actions with two targets, this research considers not just two, but four targets. Results of this study created new data related to the properties of the regulation process for positioning actions as well as discovered new opportunities for using these discovered properties. The study of positioning actions has been conducted using a functional analysis approach of the activity when the activity is considered a self-regulative system. Action precision and error analysis are performed from the activity self-regulation viewpoint during this study. Findings support that not only cognitive but emotional-motivational mechanisms of activity regulation are important factors in error analysis. This aspect of error analysis cannot be reduced to studying performance under stress.