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Bped 224 - Applied Motor Control and Learning Exercise, Sports, and Dance Action Preparation

Hick's law describes the relationship between reaction time (RT) and the number of choices in a situation. Specifically, it states that RT increases logarithmically as the number of choices increases. This suggests that having more response alternatives requires greater information processing during the preparation stage, which translates to a longer RT. Hick's law thus helps explain how the number of movement response options influences the amount of time needed for motor control preparation - the more choices available, the more time is required as the performer must evaluate and select from among more possibilities.

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150 views2 pages

Bped 224 - Applied Motor Control and Learning Exercise, Sports, and Dance Action Preparation

Hick's law describes the relationship between reaction time (RT) and the number of choices in a situation. Specifically, it states that RT increases logarithmically as the number of choices increases. This suggests that having more response alternatives requires greater information processing during the preparation stage, which translates to a longer RT. Hick's law thus helps explain how the number of movement response options influences the amount of time needed for motor control preparation - the more choices available, the more time is required as the performer must evaluate and select from among more possibilities.

Uploaded by

Jan Hashly Balag-ey
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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BPEd 224 – APPLIED MOTOR CONTROL AND LEARNING EXERCISE, SPORTS, AND DANCE

Action Preparation

To perform a motor skill, a person prepares the motor control system just prior to
performing the skill.
 The preparation process requires time, which is commonly measured by
reaction time (RT); the amount of time required depends on a variety of task,
situation, and personal characteristics. When used in this way, RT is an index
of the preparation time needed to perform a skill.
 Task and situation characteristics that influence the amount of time required
to prepare an action include:
o the number of movement response alternative (i.e., choices) in the
situation from which the performer must choose only one; Hick’ law
describes the relationship between RT and the number of choices.
o the predictability of the correct movement response alternative when
there are several from which to choose
o the probability of precue correctness
o the degree of stimulus-response compatibility
o the regularity of the length of the RT foreperiod
o movement complexity
o movement accuracy demands
o the amount of movement response repetition involved in a situation
o the amount of time available between different movement response ;
when the time between two responses is short, the psychological
refractory period (PRP) will influence the initiation of the second
response
 Personal characteristics that influence the amount of time required to prepare
an action include:
o the degree of the performer’s alertness
o attention focus on the signal to move or on the movement required at
the signal
 The premotor and motor components of the RT interval, which can be
identified by fractionating the interval on the basis of EMG recordings from
the agonist muscles, provide insight into the extent to which various
preparation activities involve perceptual, cognitive, or motor process.
 Motor control activities that occur during action preparation include:
o postural organization
o limb movement characteristics
o object control movements
o sequencing of movements
o movement rhythmicity
Study Question:
Discuss how Hick’s law is relevant to helping us understand the characteristics of factors
that influence motor control preparation

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