Progamming time in serial tapping responses as a function of pathway constraint

Abstract

This study varied the accuracy demand within a linear series of targets to investigate the effect of movement-pathway constraints on response-programming time. Sidaway, Christina, and Shea (1988) have suggested that constraints placed upon movement initiation by the demand for response precision may play an important role in determining the length of the programming process. By varying the subtended angles of a series of three targets, this experiment tested the specific prediction of Sidaway et al. that programming time may be a function of the target, within a line of targets, that subtends the smallest angle at the start position. It is this target that demands the greatest precision in the movement pathway. Subjects participated in a series of conditions in which the size and placement of the target that imposed the maximal constraint was varied. In each condition the subjects were required to strike a series of three targets with a stylus in a simple reaction-time paradigm. Analysis of the reaction-time results revealed a significant effect of size of constraint, but no effect of position of constraint. Analysis of the movement-time data dispelled movement-duration and movement-velocity interpretations of the results and intimated a possible online trajectory-correction process.

Dual-task interference as an indicator of on-line programming in simple movement sequences.

“…An influence of number of response elements on dual-task RTs would then imply that (a) INT and SEQ are not parallel processes and therefore SEQ influences dual-task RTs or (b) INT increases with response complexity. The latter explanation is consistent with the notion that the accuracy demand of a response influences programming time (Sidaway, 1991; Sidaway, Schoenfelder-Zohdi, & Moore, 1990). The overall index of difficulty of a movement, which is defined by the total distance from the start position to the target, has been shown to influence the programming of early response elements (Lajoie & Franks, 1997a; Sidaway, Sekiya, & Fairweather, 1995).…”

Spatial Accuracy Demand in Aiming Movements: Kinematic Analysis of Subtended Angle and Tolerance Width

“…Overall, Short, et al's study (1996) and the others (Sidaway, 1991;Sidaway, et al, 1988Sidaway, et al, , 1990Sidaway, et al, , 1995Smiley-Oyen & Worringham, 1996) appear to provide a strong support for the hypothesis of the magnitude of the subtended angle. However, Fischman, Yao, and Reeve (2000) argued that, when circular targets are used, the subtended angle covaries with the target's tolerance width, which is the size of the target in the principal direction of motion.…”

“…In this case both the subtended angle and tolerance width will increase (or decrease) as the diameter of the target increases (or decreases). That is, the effects of the subtended angle on the rapid target-striking tasks found by Sidaway and his colleagues (Sidaway, et al, 1988(Sidaway, et al, , 1990(Sidaway, et al, , 1995 and Short, et al (1996) might not be caused by the change of the subtended angle but by the tolerance width.…”