Abstract
Previous investigations have uncovered a strong visual bias toward the index finger when reaching and grasping stationary or horizontally moving targets. The present research sought to explore whether the index finger or thumb would serve as a significant focus for gaze in tasks involving vertically translating targets. Participants executed right-handed reach-to-grasp movements towards upward or downward moving 2-D targets on a computer screen. When the target first appeared, participants made anticipatory fixations in the direction of the eventual movement path (i.e. well above upwardly moving targets or well below downwardly moving targets) and upon movement onset, fixations shifted toward the leading edge of the target. For upward moving targets, fixations remained toward the leading edge upon reach onset, whereas for downward moving targets, fixations shifted toward the centre of the target. The same central fixation location was observed at the time of grasp for all targets. Furthermore, for downwardly moving targets, the placement of the thumb appears to have influenced fixation location in conjunction with, not replacement of, the influence of the index finger. These findings are indicative of the increasingly relevant role of the thumb in mediating reaching and grasping downwardly moving targets.
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This research was supported by the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) with an Undergraduate Student Research Award (MRT) and a Discovery grant (JJM).
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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Raw data are available athttps://doi.org/10.5203/FK2/XHCNXE.
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Communicated by Melvyn A. Goodale.
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Thulasiram, M.R., Langridge, R.W., Abbas, H.H. et al. Eye–hand coordination in reaching and grasping vertically moving targets. Exp Brain Res 238, 1433–1440 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-020-05826-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-020-05826-7