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Definition
Sensorimotor adaptation is the ability to gradually modify our motor commands in order to compensate for changes in our body and in the environment. Examples from everyday life include adaptation to the visual distortions caused by prescription glasses, to the unfamiliar driving characteristics of a rental car, and to the changes of limb length and muscle force during maturation. Adaptation can be understood as a form of motor learning, accomplished by the modification of existing behavior rather than by the acquisition of new behavior. It is achieved by evaluating sensory information about performance errors, and using it to induce changes at two hierarchical levels: a lower level recalibration of sensorimotor pathways, and higher level adjustments of motor strategies. The Latin word “adaptare” means to fit together, and is derived from the Greek word “aptos” = appropriate.
Theoretical Background
In 1867, Helmholtz was the first to report that...
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References
Bastian, A. (2008). Understanding sensorimotor adaptation and learning for rehabilitation. Current Opinion in Neurology, 21, 628–633.
Bock, O., Abeele, S., & Eversheim, U. (2003). Human adaptation to rotated vision: interplay of a continuous and a discrete process. Experimental Brain Research, 152, 528–532.
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Krakauer, J., Ghilardi, M.-F., Mentis, M., Barnes, A., Veytsman, M., Eidelberg, D., & Ghez, C. (2003). Differential cortical and subcortical activations in learning rotations and gains for reaching: A PET study. Journal of Neurophysiology, 91, 294–333.
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Bock, O. (2012). Sensorimotor Adaptation. In: Seel, N.M. (eds) Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1428-6_548
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