Sensorimotor strategy selection under time constraints in the presence of two motor targets with different values
Abstract Goal-directed movements often require choosing an option from multiple potential goals under time constraints. However, there are limited studies on how humans change their time spent on decision-making and their movement patterns in accordance with time constraints. Here, we examined how sensorimotor strategies are selected under time constraints when the value of targets is uncertain. In the double-target condition, the values were uncertain before the start of the task and presented at the start. The behavior in this condition was compared to the single-target condition. The movement kinematics showed beneficial difference of motor patterns between the conditions when the time constraint is long. Moreover, the participants frequently used the choice-reaction even under tight time constraints, and their performance was consistently lower than that in the single-target condition. Our results suggest that there is a consistent cognitive bias to choose a higher value when there are multiple alternatives with different values.