Abstract
Previc (1990) postulated that most peri-personal space interactions occurred in the lower visual field (LVF), leading to an advantage when compared to the upper visual field (UVF). It is not clear if extensive practice can affect the difference between interactions in the LVF/UVF. We tested male and female basketball varsity athletes and non-athletes on a DynaVision D2 visuomotor reaction task. We recruited basketball players because in their training they spend significant amount of time processing UVF information. We found a LVF advantage in all participants, but this advantage was significantly reduced in the athletes. The results suggest that training can be a powerful modulator of visuomotor function.
Highlights
Most of our interactions with the world generally happen in the space just in front of us or just below us
Movement Time – upper visual field (UVF) Versus lower visual field (LVF) The movement time for each button press was calculated as the time between the button first lighting up and being pressed
The results showed a main effect of UVF/LVF [F(1,36) = 68.15; p < 0.0001, η2 = 0.654], a main effect of athletic status [F(1,36) = 22.16; p < 0.0001, η2 = 0.381], but no main effect of sex [F(1,36) = 2.48; p = 0.12, η2 = 0.064]
Summary
Most of our interactions with the world generally happen in the space just in front of us (peripersonal) or just below us. Brown et al (2005) showed that grasping behaviors in the LVF performed ; they were faster and more accurate than in the UVF Taken together, these studies are consistent with the theory that the LVF is specialized for processing visual information relevant for action in peri-personal space (Previc, 1990, 1998). Functional magnetic resonance imaging studies have demonstrated differences in visual field processing (Rossit et al, 2011, 2013) In these studies, participants were presented with objects in either the LVF or UVF and asked to either perform a reach-to-grasp movement toward. Visual Field Advantage Redefined the object or passively view it These studies demonstrated greater BOLD activation in the dorsal visual stream, as well as the superior parieto-occipital cortex (SPOC), and the precuneus during LVF reach-to-grasp actions. We predicted a LVF advantage in the control group but no such advantage in the athletes
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