Rapid Aiming Movements Research Articles

Programming precision in repetitive tapping.

The present paper reports an experiment using the Fitts' tapping paradigm. It is concerned with a comparison of movement times and accuracy during blind and visual repetitive tapping. A blind condition was used to investigate rapid aiming movements under motor program control, whilst visual aiming was used to assess the role of visual feedback for control purposes. Subjects in the blind conditions were able to replicate the amplitude specifications of the task, whereas effective target width was constant for a set amplitude and did not reflect specified target width. Subjects, furthermore, responded more rapidly when tapping blind. These results are discussed in terms of the magnitude of forces being attempted as a result of performing a set amplitude, and the role of visual feedback.

Reaction Time Analysis of Programed Control of Short, Rapid Aiming Movements

Abstract Reaction time, fractionated reaction time (premotor and motor time), and movement time were recorded during performance of a rapid aiming movement (11 mm in amplitude) to a circular target. Independent variables were target diameter (2 or 64 mm) and reaction time condition (simple or choice). Fifty-two subjects performed 16 practice and 24 performance trials under one of four possible experimental combinations (13 subjects per combination) in a 2 × 2 design. Reaction time correlated highly with premotor time (r = .99) but not with motor time (r = .31). Choice reaction time and its premotor time component were dependent upon target diameter, but simple reaction time and its premotor time component were not. However, choice and simple motor time were not differentially affected by target diameter. As expected, movement time was longer for the small target than for the large target. Taken together, the reaction time results were interpreted as support for Klapp's (1975) hypothesis that increases in ...

The planning of precision movements.

Two experiments are reported in which subjects were required to make rapid aiming movements to targets of various sizes. Probe reaction time (RT) procedures were used to investigate the preparation of the response to the target. It was proposed that if the precision of movement was planned in advance, this would be reflected by the lengthening of RTs to probes presented during the latency phase of the response. The more precise the movement (to smaller targets) the longer will be the delays to the probes. The results generally supported the prediction and the probe RTs were correlated with target size. There was also some evidence that the probe was lengthening during the movement and in the region of the target.