Attention Is Required to Coordinate Reaching and Postural Stability during Upper Limb Movements Generated While Standing. Issue 1 (2nd January 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dierijck, Jill; Kennefick, Michael; Smirl, Jonathan; Dalton, Brian H.; van Donkelaar, Paul
• Is Part Of: Journal of motor behavior. Volume 52:Issue 1(2020)
• Page Start: 79
• Page End: 88
• Publication Date: 2020-01-02
• Subjects: Arm perturbations -- attention -- center of pressure -- postural stability -- reaching movements; Human mechanics -- Periodicals; Movement, Psychology of -- Periodicals; Motor Activity -- Periodicals; Motor Skills -- Periodicals; Bewegingsleer; Mécanique humaine -- Périodiques; Psychomotricité -- Périodiques; 612.705
• DOI: 10.1080/00222895.2019.1587351
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-2895

Abstract

Abstract: In the present study we investigated how attention contributes to the interaction between reach planning and execution, and postural control. Reaching movements were generated while standing and were performed either in isolation or in conjunction with a secondary reaction time (RT) task. In addition, to better understand how online movement control is affected by this interaction, the reaching movements could be unexpectedly perturbed medial-laterally. Postural kinetic, arm kinematic and RT, and secondary RT measures were used to characterize the responses. Results indicate task performance worsened when both the reaching and secondary tasks were completed simultaneously. Our results imply the generation of reaching movements while standing requires attentional resources to properly coordinate the interaction between the reaching task and postural control.