Notes

Outline

Overview of Human-Machine Systems

A Model of Control Systems Theory

Important Elements of Movement The Following Topics Will be Covered Reaction Time: Time from Signal to Movement to the beginning of the movement e.g. time from red light till begin to move foot. Duration of Movement: Movement Time time from beginning of movement of foot till it reaches the break and applies pressure. Reaction Time + Duration of Movement = time to reach motor goal. The Nature of Movement Control The Nature of Acquisition of Motor Abilities

The Muscular System The Striated Muscle (those responsible for voluntary movements) Anatomy - Two types of fibers Extrafusal Fiber: these fibers do the work of the muscle. Intrafusal Fiber or Muscle Spindle: controls muscle tone and provides important sensory information. Contraction Controlled by the nervous system Muscles only shorten (i.e., only go one direction) Organized in opposition pairs.

The Muscular System - 2 Neural Input into the Muscle Extrafusal fibers are input by alpha motor neurons These neurons are large and fast. Intrafusal Fibers are input by gamma motor neurons These neurons are relatively small and slow. They are involved in the control of muscle tone.

Proprioception: Sensing Muscle Condition and Limb Position Sensory Endings in Muscles Anulospiral: wraps around muscle spindle, senses dynamic changes in muscle length. Flower spray: looks like little flowers, sense static changes in muscle length, helps determine position.

Proprioception: Sensing Muscle Condition and Limb Position - 2 Sensory Endings in Tendons Golgi Tendon Organ: determines stretch and tension. Sensory Endings in Joints free nerve endings and Pacinian Corpuscles sense pressure and release from pressure due to change in joint angle. only sensitive to extreme angles. skin supplements joint receptors.

Reaction Time: General History Nevil Maskelyne (Head of Greenwich Royal Observatory) fired Kinnebrook, a new assistant for being consistently slower than Maskelyne in observation times. German astronomer, Bessel, developed personal equation.

The Stretch Reflex Neural Input into the Muscle Extrafusal fibers are input by alpha motor neurons These neurons are large and fast. Intrafusal Fibers are input by gamma motor neurons These neurons are relatively small and slow. They are involved in the control of muscle tone.

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The Stretch Reflex and Muscle Tone

Muscle Tone Muscle tone is the general state of contraction of the muscles. If you have low muscle tone the muscles are flaccid (relaxed). If high muscle tone, the muscle is contracted. Muscle tone changes over time, e.g. during a step Muscle tone is low as we pick up our leg Muscle tone is high on all leg muscles as we prepare to put it back down and it has to support our weight

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The Spindle and Stretch What happens when the spindle is stretched? Which motor neuron is effected?

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The effects of g motor neuron activation What happens to the rubber bands in the model? Can the sensory endings tell the difference in the cause of the stretch? What happens when the spindles are stretched? How could this be used in muscle tone?

Reaction Time: General - 2 History - continued Donders Subtractive Method Three Types of Trial a reaction: Stimulus and response are always the same. b reaction: More than one stimulus, each with own response. c reaction: More than one stimulus, only one of which has a response. The subtraction a reaction time = nervous system conduction from sensation to motor response. c - a time = identification time. Why? b - c time = selection time. Why?

Reaction Time: General - 3 Types of Reaction time Simple: one stimulus, one response.

Factors Effecting Simple Reaction Time Typical Situation First Stimulus: a Ready or Warning Signal, alerts subject to upcoming reaction time stimulus. Foreperiod: the time subject waits for the reaction time stimulus, may be constant or variable. Second Stimulus: the Reaction Time Stimulus, the stimulus the subject responds to. Response: the reaction time is the time from the onset of the reaction time stimulus to the beginning of the response.

Factors Effecting Simple Reaction Time-2 Reaction Time Stimulus Effects More intense stimuli lead to faster reaction times. Increased duration of stimuli lead to faster reaction times. Auditory stimuli lead to slightly faster reaction times.  Why? Foreperiod Effects For constant foreperiods, increases in duration increase reaction times. For variable foreperiods, increases in duration reduces reaction times. Why? Expectancy.

Factors Effecting Choice Reaction Time While not directly studied, most of the effects for simple reaction time are expected to generalize to choice reaction time. The Effects of Number of Alternatives Hick found reaction time increased as the number of alternatives increased. (finger press to light): Hick's Law Mowbray found reaction time did not increase as the number of alternative increased. These conflicting results may be resolved in the next two findings.

Factors Effecting Choice Reaction Time-2 Stimulus-Response Compatibility The more compatible (the more similar) the response and the response key layout is to the stimuli, the faster and more accurate are the responses. (Fitts & Seeger, 1953). Sometimes compatibility is determined by cultural norms (population stereotypes). e.g. what side is the hot water control and which way do you turn it for on?

Factors Effecting Choice Reaction Time-3 Practice Practice reduces reaction time, and the more alternatives, the more practice helps. Apply to the conflict on number of alternatives Incompatible, novel tasks follow Hicks Law. Compatible, well practiced tasks do not.

Speed/Accuracy Tradeoff

Fitt’s Law and Movement Time The index of difficulty (ID) A =  amplitude or size of movement W = width of target or accuracy required Fitt's Law MT = Movement time ID   = Index of difficulty (above) a,b = constants

Motor Learning and Knowledge of Results Motor Learning is development of a skill, e.g., writing. Tasks may be discrete or continuous. Feedback or Knowledge of Results (KR) Trowbridge and Cason (1932) Task: draw 3” line blindfolded. Conditions: No KR Qualitative KR Quantitative KR

KR and Practice With sufficient practice, KR can be removed without loss of performance (Newell, 1974).

Distribution of Practice The classic experiment: Dore and Hilgard (1937). Subjects' task was pursuit rotor. initially all groups were given 3 one minute trials with 1 minute rests for each block. after 3 blocks group 1: 11 minute rests group 2: 3 minute rests group 3: only 1 minute rests. The longer the rest the greater the performance. Suggests that distributed (rested) practice is superior to massed practice.

Distribution of Practice - 2 The challenge: Adams and Reynolds (1954) also used pursuit rotor one group always had distributed practice All other groups started out in massed practice The distributed group performed better Other groups switched to distributed practice Distributing practice has more of an effect on performance not learning

Theories of Motor Learning Adam's Two-Stage Theory Elements of Motor Behavior Perceptual trace: reference input into comparator. Memory trace - motor commands for a given  movement. You may lack either trace. How learning proceeds: the VERBAL-MOTOR stage: subject is without perceptual trace. subject is unable by self to judge improvement. improvement depends upon KR. the MOTOR stage. the subject has a good perceptual trace. external feedback is practically unimportant. behavior can still improve even without external KR.

Theories of Motor Learning - 2 Fitts and Posner's Theory: Three stages Element learning: learn the elements of the skill. Associative stage: learn how these component behaviors link together. This stage requires attention. Autonomous stage: Performance does not require attention.

Apply to Human Factors Projects Reaction time Speed-Accuracy Tradeoff Skill Acquisition