Work Rhythm and Breathing Rhythm in a Repetitive Perceptual–Motor Task: The Effects of Synchronization on Performance

1987 ◽  
Vol 31 (12) ◽  
pp. 1336-1340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A. Henning
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Error Rate ◽  
Motor Performance ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Reaction Time Task ◽  
Work Rate ◽  
Task Structure ◽  
Rest Break ◽  
Perceived Difficulty ◽  
Perceptual Motor Performance

A laboratory investigation was conducted to determine if synchronization between the work rhythm and the respiratory biorhythm benefits perceptual-motor performance. The effect of work-respiratory (W–R) synchronization on reaction time, error rate, and perceived difficulty was evaluated for a visual choice reaction time task. Interstimulus intervals were chosen to induce a work rhythm. Prior to the experiment, the task was performed in a self-paced mode so that a baseline work rate could be identified for each subject. Each subject (N=22) then performed the task at 3 machine-paced work rhythms; 1) equal to the work rhythm of the baseline work rate, 2) 33% faster than the work rhythm of the baseline work rate, and 3) 33% slower than the work rhythm of the baseline work rate. Each condition consisted of two, 4 min trials separated by a brief rest break. Work rate (in responses per minute) was held constant across conditions through adjustments in task structure. Regression analysis revealed that W–R synchronization was associated with a 1% reduction in error rate and a 15 msec reduction in reaction time. These results suggest that W–R synchronization benefits perceptual–motor performance of repetitive tasks.

Why Does the Single Neuron Activity Change from Trial to Trial during Sensory-Motor Task?

1997 ◽  
Vol 36 (04/05) ◽  
pp. 322-325
Author(s):  
A. Terao ◽  
T. Hasbroucq ◽  
I. Mouret ◽  
J. Seal ◽  
M. Akamatsu
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Reaction Time ◽  
Single Neuron ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Reaction Time Task ◽  
Neuron Activity ◽  
Peak Activity ◽  
Neural Connections ◽  
Trial Analysis ◽  
Sensory Motor

Abstract:Single neuron activities from cortical areas of a monkey were recorded while performing a sensory-motor task (a choice reaction time task). Quantitative trial-by-trial analysis revealed that the timing of peak activity exhibited large variation from trial to trial, compared to the variation in the behavioral reaction time of the task. Therefore, we developed a multi-unit dynamic neural network model to investigate the effects of structure of neural connections on the variation of the timing of peak activity. Computer simulation of the model showed that, even though the units are connected in a cascade fashion, a wide variation exists in the timing of peak activity of neurons because of parallel organization of neural network within each unit.

scholarly journals Are there Any Differences in Simple and Random Choice Motor Task Performance between Young and Middle-Aged Adults?

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (90) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rima Solianik ◽  
Vaida Aleknavičiūtė ◽  
Albertas Skurvydas ◽  
Marius Brazaitis
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Motor Performance ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Individual Variability ◽  
Maximal Velocity ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Random Choice ◽  
Simple Task ◽  
Aged Subjects ◽  
Speed Accuracy

Research background and hypothesis. Most studies are based on elderly subjects’ results, so there is a need to explore if motor performance changes begin in the middle age. We hypothesize that (i) middle-aged subjects use “play it safe” strategy, which depends on the type of tasks (simple vs. random choice); (ii) middle-aged subjects will show higher intra-individual performance variability compared to young adults, furthermore, simple task will show  lower performance variability.Research aim was to establish if there were any movement performance differences during simple and random  choice motor task performance between young and middle-aged adults.Research methods. Middle-aged and young adults performed two speed-accuracy tasks. During simple task  participants had to reach the same target which appeared in the same place and during random choice task the target  appeared randomly in one of the three different places.Research results. Data showed that middle-aged group had slower (p < 0.05) reaction time and maximal velocity,  whereas movement path length was more accurate (p < 0.05) than that in the young adult group. Comparing different  tasks it was observed that during simple task reaction time was faster (p < 0.05) than in the random choice task in  both groups. Intra-individual variability of reaction time and maximal velocity was higher (p < 0.05) in the middle-aged group, whereas no changes were observed between different tasks.Discussion  and  conclusion.  Motor  performance  strategy  “play  it  safe”  is  already  observed  for  the  middle- aged population: they decrease maximal velocity and reaction time in order to make movement more accurate.  Additionally, they demonstrate task-independent higher intra-individual variability of reaction time and maximal  velocity showing changes in CNS integrity compared to young adults.Keywords: aging, speed-accuracy tasks, intra-individual variability.

Effects of Practice and Alcohol on Performance of a Perceptual-Motor Task

1987 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 777-795 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. A. Maylor ◽  
P. M. A. Rabbitt
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Motor Performance ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Computer Game ◽  
Simple Computer ◽  
Perceptual Motor Performance

Practice may modify the effects of alcohol on perceptual-motor performance in at least three different ways: (1) alcohol may affect learning—that is, the rate at which performance of a skill improves with practice; (2) alcohol may have a greater effect on performance when the skill is unfamiliar than when it is practised; and (3) practice with alcohol may allow adaptation to its effects. These were investigated using a simple computer game in which subjects attempted to destroy a tank by pressing a key to release a bomb from a plane horizontally traversing the screen above it. The results demonstrated that (1) performance improved with practice; (2) with alcohol (0.8 mg/kg body weight), subjects were more variable and less accurate; (3) improvement with alcohol was greater than without alcohol, but as performance was impaired by alcohol, there was greater scope for improvement; (4) those who practised with alcohol still improved when switched to no alcohol late in practice; and (5) alcohol had the same effect early and late in practice. It is therefore concluded that there is no evidence to support any of the three suggestions outlined above.

Effect of Mass Loading on the Performance of a Linear Positioning Task

1978 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 411-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duane B. Soricelli ◽  
Richard E. Burke
Keyword(s):  
Motor Performance ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Performance Measure ◽  
Physical Characteristics ◽  
Mass Loading ◽  
Perceptual Motor Performance ◽  
Kinesthetic Information ◽  
Measures Of Performance ◽  
Load Conditions ◽  
Increasing Load

To determine the effect of mass loading on the performance of a skilled perceptual-motor task, measures of performance (in terms of number of correct responses) were obtained for 40 blindfolded undergraduate subjects on a linear positioning task under conditions of 0-gm., 909-gm., 1,818-gm., 2,727-gm., and 3,636-gm. manipulandum loads. With respect to the performance measure, the increasing load conditions produced an inverted U-function, with 1,818 gm. resulting in the best performance and 0 gm. producing the poorest performance. It was concluded that skilled perceptual-motor performance can be improved by optimizing the physical characteristics of the manipulandum. The results were interpreted in terms of the augmentation of both attention and kinesthetic information.

The Effects of Whole Body Exercise on Choice-Reaction Time Performance

1974 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 476-479
Author(s):  
Alan B. Dechovitz ◽  
Rodney K. Schutz ◽  
Thomas L. Sadosky
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Physical Exercise ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Choice Reaction Time ◽  
Error Rate ◽  
Reaction Time Task ◽  
Work Load ◽  
Bicycle Ergometer ◽  
Practical Significance ◽  
Whole Body

A study which investigates how cognitive performance is affected by simultaneous, physical exercise is reported. Whole body exercise on a bicycle ergometer at four work loads (30, 60, 120 and 180 watts) and four rates (30, 40, 60 and 90 rpm) for durations of from 5 to 25 minutes were investigated. A two-stage choice reaction time task was performed at one minute intervals prior to, during and after exercise. Psychomotor performance was measured by reaction time and error rate. Although the subjects were fully trained, very pronounced subject differences were noted. The psychomotor response did not vary with work load (watts) or work rate (rpm), and in addition, was not related to the physiological measurements recorded for heart rate and oxygen consumption. Nominal differences in reaction time and error rate were detected during and after exercise; but it was concluded that physical exercise, even if strenuous, does not cause a modification in cognitive performance of practical significance.

Behavioral Relaxation Training and Motor Performance of Learining Disabled Children with Hyperactive Behaviors

1986 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey E. Brandon ◽  
Robert L. Eason ◽  
Theresa L. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Motor Performance ◽  
Relaxation Training ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Reaction Time Task ◽  
Learning Disabled ◽  
Disabled Children ◽  
Time Task ◽  
Stabilization Phase ◽  
Teaching Learning ◽  
Behavioral Relaxation Training

The purposes of this study were to determine if learning-disabled males referred with hyperactive behaviors could be taught to relax, and to measure the effects of relaxation training on an attention demanding motor task. Subjects were given behavior relaxation training and a modified visual choice reaction time task. There was a dramatic decrease in the number of unrelaxed behaviors (BRS scores) for all subjects across training. A training effect for the response time task for all subjects was noted following the baseline stabilization phase. This study supports the use of behavior relaxation training as a technique for teaching learning-disabled males to relax. Also, it suggests that being in a relaxed state may facilitate performance on an attention demanding motor task.

scholarly journals Changes in intentional binding effect during a novel perceptual-motor task

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e6066 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shu Morioka ◽  
Kazuki Hayashida ◽  
Yuki Nishi ◽  
Sayaka Negi ◽  
Yuki Nishi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Motor Performance ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Moving Object ◽  
Voluntary Action ◽  
Intentional Binding ◽  
Binding Effect ◽  
Target Circle ◽  
Perceptual Motor Performance ◽  
Perceptual Motor Learning

Perceptual-motor learning describes the process of improving the smoothness and accuracy of movements. Intentional binding (IB) is a phenomenon whereby the length of time between performing a voluntary action and the production of a sensory outcome during perceptual-motor control is perceived as being shorter than the reality. How IB may change over the course of perceptual-motor learning, however, has not been explicitly investigated. Here, we developed a set of IB tasks during perceptual-motor learning. Participants were instructed to stop a circular moving object by key press when it reached the center of a target circle on the display screen. The distance between the center of the target circle and the center of the moving object was measured, and the error was used to approximate the perceptual-motor performance index. This task also included an additional exercise that was unrelated to the perceptual-motor task: after pressing the key, a sound was presented after a randomly chosen delay of 200, 500, or 700 ms and the participant had to estimate the delay interval. The difference between the estimated and actual delay was used as the IB value. A cluster analysis was then performed using the error values from the first and last task to group the participants based on their perceptual-motor performance. Participants showing a very small change in error value, and thus demonstrating a small effect of perceptual-motor learning, were classified into cluster 1. Those who exhibited a large decrease in error value from the first to the last set, and thus demonstrated a strong improvement in perceptual-motor performance, were classified into cluster 2. Those who exhibited perceptual-motor learning also showed improvements in the IB value. Our data suggest that IB is elevated when perceptual-motor learning occurs.

scholarly journals Intentional Binding Effects in the Experience of Noticing the Regularity of a Perceptual-Motor Task

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 659
Author(s):  
Kazuki Hayashida ◽  
Yuki Nishi ◽  
Akihiro Masuike ◽  
Shu Morioka
Keyword(s):  
Motor Performance ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Motor Command ◽  
External World ◽  
Similar Model ◽  
Motor Tasks ◽  
Intentional Binding ◽  
Comparator Model ◽  
Sensory Predictions ◽  
Perceptual Motor Performance

Noticing the regularity of the task is necessary to enhance motor performance. The experience of noticing further motivates improvement in motor performance. Motor control is explained by a comparator model that modifies the motor command to reduce discrepancies between sensory predictions and actual outcomes. A similar model could apply to sense of agency (SoA). SoA refers to the sensation of controlling one’s own actions and, through them, the outcomes in the external world. SoA may also be enhanced by the experience of noticing errors. We recently reported gradual enhancement of SoA in participants with high perceptual-motor performance. However, what component of the motor task changed the SoA is unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the influence over time of the experience of noticing during a motor task on SoA. Participants performed an implicit regularity perceptual-motor task and an intentional binding task (a method that can quantitatively measure SoA) simultaneously. We separated participants into groups after the experiment based on noticing or not noticing the regularity. SoA was gradually enhanced in the noticing group, compared with that of the non-noticing group. The results suggest that the experience of noticing may enhance SoA during perceptual-motor tasks.

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