Attention and Visual Dominance in Motor Learning

Abstract

Two experiments examined the role of attention in visual dominance during motor learning. On the movement task 10 acquisition trials were given; each included a movement presentation and a blindfolded reproduction. After completion of acquisition trials and a 5-min. interval, subjects were given 5 retention trials with reproduction attempts only. In Exp. 1, subjects receiving only kinesthetic information during movement presentation reproduced criterion movement length more accurately than subjects receiving visual and kinesthetic information. Other subjects, presented both visual and kinesthetic stimuli for the movement, were given instructions to ignore vision and focus on kinesthesis. These subjects exhibited no effects of visual dominance in reproductions. In Exp. 2, subjects were presented visual and kinesthetic stimuli during half of the movement presentations and only kinesthetic stimuli during the other half. They did not exhibit the effects of visual dominance in reproductions. Such effects in motor learning may be modified by manipulation of attention or an alternating presentation of specific sensory stimuli.