Reaction to a Visual Stimulus: Anticipation with Steady and Dynamic Contractions

Abstract

Reacting fast to visual stimuli is important for many activities of daily living and sports. It remains unknown whether the strategy used during the anticipatory period influences the speed of the reaction. The purpose of this study was to determine if reaction time (RT) differs following a steady and a dynamic anticipatory strategy. Twenty‐two young adults (21.0 ± 2.2 yrs, 13 women) participated in this study. Participants performed 15 trials of a reaction time task with ankle dorsiflexion using a steady (steady force at 15% MVC) and a dynamic (oscillating force from 10‐20% MVC) anticipatory strategy. We recorded primary agonist muscle (tibialis anterior; TA) electromyographic (EMG) activity. We quantified RT as the time interval from the onset of the stimulus to the onset of force. We found that a dynamic anticipatory strategy, compared to the steady anticipatory strategy, resulted in a longer RT (p = 0.04). We classified trials of the dynamic condition based on the level and direction of anticipatory force at the moment of the response. We found that RT was longer during the middle descending relative to the middle ascending and the steady conditions (p < 0.01). All together, these results suggest that RT is longer when preceded by a dynamic anticipatory strategy. Specifically, the longer RT is a consequence of the variable direction of force at which the response can occur, which challenges the motor planning process.

The Impact of Implementing an Exergame Program on the Level of Reaction Time Optimization in Handball, Volleyball, and Basketball Players

“…The reaction time to visual stimuli is unanimously considered as the time interval between the appearance of the stimulus and the initiation of a response of different typologies: motor, cognitive, and recognition [4,5]. Studies have shown that the reaction time is dependent on a number of factors, including the nature of the stimulus, duration of the stimulus application, the intensity of the stimulus, the afferent and efferent transmission rate of nervous influx, the processing time dependent on the complexity of the task, the size of the muscle group or segment that performs the task, etc.…”

Older adults use a motor plan that is detrimental to endpoint control

“…We measured the MVC for ankle dorsiflexion and ankle plantarflexion as we have done so previously 18 – 20 . Subjects increased force to their maximum in 3 s and maintained the maximal force for ∼ 3 s. They exerted three to five MVCs or until two MVC trials were within 5% of each other.…”

Study on the Impact of Implementing an Exercise Program Using Fitlight Technology for the Development of Upper Limb Coordinative Abilities in Basketball Players

“…Another important component of coordinative ability that has a major impact on players’ performance is reaction time. Reaction time (RT) is defined as the period between the appearance of a stimulus and the execution of a voluntary action [ 32 , 33 ]. A number of factors have a significant influence on RT: the plasticity of nerve processes, the characteristics of the stimulus, the length of the segment involved in the movement, the complexity of the stimulus and motor task, sports experience, etc.…”