Mentally Simulated Reaches for Visual Objects: Effects of Stimulus Orientation and Biomechanical Constraints

Perception ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 26 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 199-199
Author(s):  
S H Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Picture Plane ◽  
Response Hand ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
Visual Objects ◽  
Series Of Experiments ◽  
Biomechanical Constraints ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Time Required ◽  
The Right ◽  
Biomechanical Factors

Recent evidence suggests that mentally simulating an action involves many of the same neuropsychological mechanisms as overt performance. A series of experiments were conducted to evaluate whether representations involved in mentally simulated reaches are constrained by the same biomechanical factors that limit actual movements. Subjects were asked to use either the right or the left hand to acquire a dowel presented visually in one of 24 different orientations within the picture plane. In reaching studies, subjects responded by grasping the target using either an overhand or underhand grip; in the mentally simulated studies, subjects responded by vocally indicating whether they would prefer an overhand or underhand grip if they were to actually grasp the object. Results indicate substantial correspondence between actual and mentally simulated reaching. Grip preferences in both situations are highly correlated, and reflect biomechanical constraints on rotation of the forearm. In both actual and mentally simulated tasks, subjects show clear preferences for grips that minimise perceived awkwardness. In contrast to related work, the time required to perform mentally simulated reaches for visual objects was found not to increase linearly with distance from the resting posture of the response hand. Findings are discussed with respect to the hypothesis that actual and mentally simulated actions involve the same internal representations.

scholarly journals Compatibility between object size and response side in grasping: The left hand prefers smaller objects, the right hand prefers larger objects

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Seegelke ◽  
Peter Wühr
Keyword(s):  
Hand Movements ◽  
Object Size ◽  
Response Hand ◽  
Small Cube ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Spatial Response ◽  
Right Hand ◽  
Size Number ◽  
The Right

It has been proposed that the brain processes quantities such as space, size, number, and other magnitudes using a common neural metric, and that this common representation system reflects a direct link to motor control, because the integration of spatial, temporal, and other quantity-related information is fundamental for sensorimotor transformation processes. In the present study, we examined compatibility effects between physical stimulus size and spatial (response) location during a sensorimotor task. Participants reached and grasped for a small or large object with either their non-dominant left or their dominant right hand. Our results revealed that participants initiated left hand movements faster when grasping the small cube compared to the large cube, whereas they initiated right hand movements faster when grasping the large cube compared to the small cube. Moreover, the compatibility effect influenced the timing of grip aperture kinematics. These findings indicate that the interaction between object size and response hand affects the planning of grasping movements and supports the notion of a strong link between the cognitive representation of (object) size, spatial (response) parameters, and sensorimotor control.

Cerebral Mechanisms of Hypnotic Induction and Suggestion

1999 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Rainville ◽  
Robert K. Hofbauer ◽  
Tomáš Paus ◽  
Gary H. Duncan ◽  
M. Catherine Bushnell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pain Perception ◽  
State Theory ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
Positron Emission ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
The Right ◽  
Hypnotic Suggestions

The neural mechanisms underlying hypnotic states and responses to hypnotic suggestions remain largely unknown and, to date, have been studied only with indirect methods. Here, the effects of hypnosis and suggestions to alter pain perception were investigated in hypnotizable subjects by using positron emission tomography (PET) measures of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and electroencephalographic (EEG) measures of brain electrical activity. The experimental conditions included a restful state (Baseline) followed by hypnotic relaxation alone (Hypnosis) and by hypnotic relaxation with suggestions for altered pain unpleasantness (Hypnosis-with-Suggestion). During each scan, the left hand was immersed in neutral (35°C) or painfully hot (47°C) water in the first two conditions and in painfully hot water in the last condition. Hypnosis was accompanied by significant increases in both occipital rCBF and delta EEG activity, which were highly correlated with each other (r = 0.70, p < 0.0001). Peak increases in rCBF were also observed in the caudal part of the right anterior cingulate sulcus and bilaterally in the inferior frontal gyri. Hypnosis-related decreases in rCBF were found in the right inferior parietal lobule, the left precuneus, and the posterior cingulate gyrus. Hypnosis-with-suggestions produced additional widespread increases in rCBF in the frontal cortices predominantly on the left side. Moreover, the medial and lateral posterior parietal cortices showed suggestion-related increases overlapping partly with regions of hypnosis-related decreases. Results support a state theory of hypnosis in which occipital increases in rCBF and delta activity reflect the alteration of consciousness associated with decreased arousal and possible facilitation of visual imagery. Frontal increases in rCBF associated with suggestions for altered perception might reflect the verbal mediation of the suggestions, working memory, and top-down processes involved in the reinterpretation of the perceptual experience. These results provide a new description of the neurobiological basis of hypnosis, demonstrating specific patterns of cerebral activation associated with the hypnotic state and with the processing of hypnotic suggestions.

Locus of Interference on the Stroop Test

1977 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 263-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel D. Wheeler
Keyword(s):  
Stroop Effect ◽  
Random Sequence ◽  
Stroop Test ◽  
Verbal Response ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Push Button ◽  
Verbal Responses ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
Time Required ◽  
The Right

On the Stroop test subjects are presented with a random sequence of color names printed in random colors of ink. They are asked to go through the list twice, once reading the words aloud and once naming the ink colors. In this experiment 36 college students were also asked to go through the lists using their fingers to make push button responses. With verbal responses naming the ink colors took nearly twice as long as reading the words, thus replicating the usual Stroop test results. With either the left hand or the right there was no difference between the time required by the subjects to respond to the words and to the ink colors. The disappearance of the Stroop effect with finger responses suggests strongly that the interference normally shown on the Stroop test occurs primarily in the processing of the verbal response.

scholarly journals Compatibility between object size and response side in grasping: the left hand prefers smaller objects, the right hand prefers larger objects

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e6026 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Seegelke ◽  
Peter Wühr
Keyword(s):  
Hand Movements ◽  
Object Size ◽  
Response Hand ◽  
Small Cube ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Spatial Response ◽  
Right Hand ◽  
Size Number ◽  
The Right

It has been proposed that the brain processes quantities such as space, size, number, and other magnitudes using a common neural metric, and that this common representation system reflects a direct link to motor control, because the integration of spatial, temporal, and other quantity-related information is fundamental for sensorimotor transformation processes. In the present study, we examined compatibility effects between physical stimulus size and spatial (response) location during a sensorimotor task. Participants reached and grasped for a small or large object with either their non-dominant left or their dominant right hand. Our results revealed that participants initiated left hand movements faster when grasping the small cube compared to the large cube, whereas they initiated right hand movements faster when grasping the large cube compared to the small cube. Moreover, the compatibility effect influenced the timing of grip aperture kinematics. These findings indicate that the interaction between object size and response hand affects the planning of grasping movements and supports the notion of a strong link between the cognitive representation of (object) size, spatial (response) parameters, and sensorimotor control.

scholarly journals Compatibility between object size and response side in grasping: The left hand prefers smaller objects, the right hand prefers larger objects

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Seegelke ◽  
Peter Wühr
Keyword(s):  
Hand Movements ◽  
Object Size ◽  
Response Hand ◽  
Small Cube ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Spatial Response ◽  
Right Hand ◽  
Size Number ◽  
The Right

It has been proposed that the brain processes quantities such as space, size, number, and other magnitudes using a common neural metric, and that this common representation system reflects a direct link to motor control, because the integration of spatial, temporal, and other quantity-related information is fundamental for sensorimotor transformation processes. In the present study, we examined compatibility effects between physical stimulus size and spatial (response) location during a sensorimotor task. Participants reached and grasped for a small or large object with either their non-dominant left or their dominant right hand. Our results revealed that participants initiated left hand movements faster when grasping the small cube compared to the large cube, whereas they initiated right hand movements faster when grasping the large cube compared to the small cube. Moreover, the compatibility effect influenced the timing of grip aperture kinematics. These findings indicate that the interaction between object size and response hand affects the planning of grasping movements and supports the notion of a strong link between the cognitive representation of (object) size, spatial (response) parameters, and sensorimotor control.

Editorial Note

1946 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-2
Keyword(s):  
Editorial Note ◽  
Speech Sounds ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
Hand Column ◽  
Right Hand ◽  
Infant Speech ◽  
The Right

In the article “Infant Speech Sounds and Intelligence” by Orvis C. Irwin and Han Piao Chen, in the December 1945 issue of the Journal, the paragraph which begins at the bottom of the left hand column on page 295 should have been placed immediately below the first paragraph at the top of the right hand column on page 296. To the authors we express our sincere apologies.

The Influences of Goal and Laterality of a Prepared Hand Response on a Co-Occurring Visual Search

2015 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre Coutté ◽  
Gérard Olivier ◽  
Sylvane Faure
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Visual Target ◽  
Motor Planning ◽  
Search Performance ◽  
Response Preparation ◽  
Manual Response ◽  
Response Hand ◽  
Computer Screen ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
Manual Interaction

Computer use generally requires manual interaction with human-computer interfaces. In this experiment, we studied the influence of manual response preparation on co-occurring shifts of attention to information on a computer screen. The participants were to carry out a visual search task on a computer screen while simultaneously preparing to reach for either a proximal or distal switch on a horizontal device, with either their right or left hand. The response properties were not predictive of the target’s spatial position. The results mainly showed that the preparation of a manual response influenced visual search: (1) The visual target whose location was congruent with the goal of the prepared response was found faster; (2) the visual target whose location was congruent with the laterality of the response hand was found faster; (3) these effects have a cumulative influence on visual search performance; (4) the magnitude of the influence of the response goal on visual search is marginally negatively correlated with the rapidity of response execution. These results are discussed in the general framework of structural coupling between perception and motor planning.

Is the Future the Right Time?

2010 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 308-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Ouellet ◽  
Julio Santiago ◽  
Ziv Israeli ◽  
Shai Gabay
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Task ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Visual Modality ◽  
Opposite Pattern ◽  
Time Line ◽  
Temporal Reference ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
Reading Direction ◽  
Mental Time Line ◽  
The Right

Spanish and English speakers tend to conceptualize time as running from left to right along a mental line. Previous research suggests that this representational strategy arises from the participants’ exposure to a left-to-right writing system. However, direct evidence supporting this assertion suffers from several limitations and relies only on the visual modality. This study subjected to a direct test the reading hypothesis using an auditory task. Participants from two groups (Spanish and Hebrew) differing in the directionality of their orthographic system had to discriminate temporal reference (past or future) of verbs and adverbs (referring to either past or future) auditorily presented to either the left or right ear by pressing a left or a right key. Spanish participants were faster responding to past words with the left hand and to future words with the right hand, whereas Hebrew participants showed the opposite pattern. Our results demonstrate that the left-right mapping of time is not restricted to the visual modality and that the direction of reading accounts for the preferred directionality of the mental time line. These results are discussed in the context of a possible mechanism underlying the effects of reading direction on highly abstract conceptual representations.

scholarly journals Hand Preference and Performance in Basketball Tasks

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (22) ◽  
pp. 4336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emanuela Gualdi-Russo ◽  
Natascia Rinaldo ◽  
Alba Pasini ◽  
Luciana Zaccagni
Keyword(s):  
Professional Training ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Hand Preference ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Basketball Players ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Right

The aims of this study were to develop and validate an instrument to quantitatively assess the handedness of basketballers in basketball tasks (Basketball Handedness Inventory, BaHI) and to compare it with their handedness in daily activities by the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (EHI). The participants were 111 basketballers and 40 controls. All subjects completed the EHI and only basketballers filled in the BaHI. To validate the BaHI, a voluntary subsample of basketballers repeated the BaHI. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a two-factor model. Our results show that: (i) Handedness score (R) in daily actions did not differ between basketball players (R by EHI = 69.3 ± 44.6) and the control group (R by EHI = 64.5 ± 58.6); (ii) basketballers more frequently favored performing certain sport tasks with the left hand or mixed hands (as highlighted by R by BaHI = 50.1 ± 47.1), although their choice was primarily the right hand in everyday gestures; and (iii) this preference was especially true for athletes at the highest levels of performance (R by BaHI of A1 league = 38.6 ± 58.3) and for those playing in selected roles (point guard’s R = 29.4 ± 67.4). Our findings suggest that professional training induces handedness changes in basketball tasks. The BaHI provides a valid and reliable measure of the skilled hand in basketball. This will allow coaches to assess mastery of the ball according to the hand used by the athlete in the different tasks and roles.

scholarly journals Digit Variability in Carotenoid Scores Obtained with the Veggie Meter: A Pilot Study (P02-001-19)

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Velarie Ansu ◽  
Stephanie Dickinson ◽  
Alyce Fly
Keyword(s):  
Indiana University ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
Funding Sources ◽  
Right Hand ◽  
Period Data ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Right ◽  
Post Hoc ◽  
Main Effects ◽  
Mean Square Errors

Abstract Objectives To determine which digit and hand have the highest and lowest skin carotenoid scores, to compare inter-and-intra-hand variability of digits, and to determine if results are consistent with another subject. Methods Two subjects’ first(F1), second(F2), third(F3) and fifth(F5) digits on both hands were measured for skin carotenoids with a Veggie Meter, for 3 times on each of 18 days over a 37-day period. Data were subjected to ANOVA in a factorial treatment design to determine main effects for hand (2 levels), digits (4), and days (18) along with interactions. Differences between digits were determined by Tukey's post hoc test. Results There were significant hand x digit, hand x day, digit x day, and hand x digit x day interactions and significant simple main effects for hand, digit, and day (all P < 0.001). Mean square errors were 143.67 and 195.62 for subject A and B, respectively, which were smaller than mean squares for all main effects and interactions. The mean scores ± SD for F1, F2, F3, and F5 digits for the right vs left hands for subject A were F1:357.13 ± 45.97 vs 363.74 ± 46.94, F2:403.17 ± 44.77 vs. 353.20 ± 44.13, F3:406.76 ± 43.10 vs. 357.11 ± 45.13, and F5:374.95 ± 53.00 vs. 377.90 ± 47.38. For subject B, the mean scores ± SD for digits for the right vs left hands were F1:294.72 ± 61.63 vs 280.71 ± 52.48, F2:285.85 ± 66.92 vs 252.67 ± 67.56, F3:268.56 ± 57.03 vs 283.22 ± 45.87, and F5:288.18 ± 34.46 vs 307.54 ± 40.04. The digits on the right hand of both subjects had higher carotenoid scores than those on the left hands, even though subjects had different dominant hands. Subject A had higher skin carotenoid scores on the F3 and F2 digits for the right hand and F5 on the left hand. Subject B had higher skin carotenoid scores on F5 (right) and F1 (left) digits. Conclusions The variability due to hand, digit, and day were all greater than that of the 3 replicates within the digit-day for both volunteers. This indicates that data were not completely random across the readings when remeasuring the same finger. Different fingers displayed higher carotenoid scores for each volunteer. There is a need to conduct a larger study with more subjects and a range of skin tones to determine whether the reliability of measurements among digits of both hands is similar across the population. Funding Sources Indiana University.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document