Effects of task constraint on action dynamics

Abstract

The actualization of action possibilities (i.e., affordances) can often be accomplished in numerous ways. For instance, an individual could walk over to a rubbish bin to drop an item in or throw the piece of rubbish into the bin from some distance away. The aim of the current study was to investigate the action dynamics that emerge from such under-constrained task or action spaces using an object transportation task. Participants were instructed to transport balls between a starting location and a large wooden box located 9 meters away. The temporal interval between the sequential presentation of balls was manipulated as a control parameter and was expected to influence the distance participants moved prior to throwing or dropping the ball into the target box. A two-parameter state space derived from the Cusp Catastrophe Model was employed to illustrate how behavioral variability emerged as a consequence of the under-constrained task context. Two follow-up experiments demonstrated direct correspondence between model predictions and observed action dynamics as a function of increasing task constraints. Implications for modelling, the theory of affordances, and empirical studies more generally are discussed.

Modelling and Simulating Action Dynamics in Underconstrained Tasks in Virtual Reality

“…The reaching task in VR produced highly variable action patterns that could be classified into four general classes of solutions, similar to the ones found in Nordbeck et al (2019) with the exception that the most extreme ends were not found in this particular setup. Also, the time-series mimicked those of the previous task as well as the model simulations.…”

“…The two variables were then used to classify the time-series into one of four general solution types that vary in sensitivity to contextual conditions (see Figure 2). Exemplar time-series of the different solutions are plotted in Figure 3 along with comparison solutions (participant and simulated) from Nordbeck et al (2019).…”

“…action selection is much less studied despite its potential for explaining different levels of performance in underconstrained tasks, that is, tasks allowing for more than one solution for successful completion. Nordbeck et al (2019) have recently proposed a novel experimental paradigm to focus on this issue. In this experiment, participants transported balls between a starting location and a large wooden box located 9m away.…”

Integrated analysis of employee cooperation and conflict behaviors in the context of digital technology

“…Cusp catastrophe theory is now widely used in research in behavior dynamics. 45 Some scholars considered two control variables: external workplace and internal psychological factors. 46 Scholars explored the effect of job tension and group cohesion on the sudden withdrawal behavior of nurses, stating that the cusp catastrophe model explains the behavior turnover of employees better than the linear regression model.…”

An ecological study protocol for the multimodal investigation of the neurophysiological underpinnings of dyadic joint action

“…To understand how interpersonal interactions are reflected on different levels of analysis, joint action should be studied with a more comprehensive multi-person approach that goes beyond hyperbrain scanning and integrates the assessment of neural signal synchrony and between-brain functional connectivity with the simultaneous monitoring of physiological responses (i.e., muscle activation, cardiac activity, and respiration), movement kinematics, and psychological states. A manipulation of joint action difficulty should be also considered to investigate how the complex system composed of the network of organs of two interacting individuals dynamically adjusts to variable external conditions ( Rocca and Cavallo, 2018 ; Nordbeck et al, 2019 ). By doing so, both overt and covert processes occurring during interpersonal coordinated actions can be analyzed.…”