Utilization of Sensory Information for Motor Control

Abstract

Interactions between perception and action can be considered on various levels, as stressed by Prinz and Sanders (1984), starting with neurophysiological problems and ending with philosophical ones. The problem of how an animal uses information about its own state and about the environment for controlling movement is among the lower-level problems. It is now generally acknowledged that most behaviors arise from a combination of “central” elements which rely on autonomous neural mechanisms and “peripheral” elements which rely on sensory information. Movements are not simply driven by stimuli in a reflex-like manner: in controlling their movements, organisms have some degree of autonomy, that is, some degree of independence from sensory input (von Hoist, 1937). On the other hand, there can be no doubt that most movements are influenced by sensory input, despite some opinions to the contrary (e. g., Jones, 1974). Thus, the problem is to determine how sensory input is combined with central or autonomous control. In the combined system, peripheral information can be seen to have three functions: (a) it influences the decision as to what action is to be performed; (b) it participates in adjusting the parameters of the movements required for the action; and (c) it acts such to ensure that the movements are carried out correctly in the face of potential disturbances.