The contribution of tactile reafference to temporal regularity during bimanual finger tapping. 2002

Knut Drewing, and Mareike Hennings, and Gisa Aschersleben
Max Planck Institute for Psychological Research, Amalienstrasse 33, 80799 Munich, Germany. drewing@mpipf-muenchen.mpg.de

In a repetitive tapping task, the within-hand variability of intertap intervals is reduced when participants tap with both hands, as opposed to single-handed tapping. This bimanual advantage can be attributed to timer variance (according to the Wing-Kristofferson model). Separate timers have been proposed for each hand whose outputs are then averaged (Helmuth & Ivry, 1996, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 22, 278-293). Alternatively, timing might be based on sensory reafference and the bimanual advantage due to the enhancement of sensory reafferences. This alternative hypothesis was tested in three experiments. In the first experiment, we replicated the bimanual advantage in tapping with two fingers of the same hand compared with single finger tapping. In the second experiment, we demonstrated that the bimanual advantage decreased when tactile reafferences from left-hand taps were omitted (by contact-free tapping). In the third experiment, participants tapped bimanually with the index fingers of both hands firmly mechanically coupled. The bimanual advantage was replicated for this condition. Results are consistent with the assumption that the bimanual advantage is due to the sensory reafferences of the second hand. We suggest that our results are best explained by a reformulation of the Wing-Kristofferson model, in which the timer provides action goals in terms of sensory reafferences.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007699 Kinesthesis Sense of movement of a part of the body, such as movement of fingers, elbows, knees, limbs, or weights. Kinesthesia,Kinesthetic Sense,Movement Sensation,Kinestheses,Kinesthesias,Kinesthetic Senses,Movement Sensations
D007839 Functional Laterality Behavioral manifestations of cerebral dominance in which there is preferential use and superior functioning of either the left or the right side, as in the preferred use of the right hand or right foot. Ambidexterity,Behavioral Laterality,Handedness,Laterality of Motor Control,Mirror Writing,Laterality, Behavioral,Laterality, Functional,Mirror Writings,Motor Control Laterality,Writing, Mirror,Writings, Mirror
D008297 Male Males
D009043 Motor Activity Body movements of a human or an animal as a behavioral phenomenon. Activities, Motor,Activity, Motor,Motor Activities
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328 Adult A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available. Adults
D001288 Attention Focusing on certain aspects of current experience to the exclusion of others. It is the act of heeding or taking notice or concentrating. Focus of Attention,Selective Attention,Social Attention,Attention Focus,Attention, Selective,Attention, Social,Selective Attentions
D012683 Sensory Deprivation The absence or restriction of the usual external sensory stimuli to which the individual responds. Deprivation, Sensory,Deprivations, Sensory,Sensory Deprivations
D013998 Time Perception The ability to estimate periods of time lapsed or duration of time. Temporal Perception,Temporal Processing,Time Processing,Perception, Temporal,Perception, Time,Processing, Temporal,Processing, Time

Related Publications

Knut Drewing, and Mareike Hennings, and Gisa Aschersleben
February 1998, The International journal of neuroscience,
Knut Drewing, and Mareike Hennings, and Gisa Aschersleben
December 1990, Journal of motor behavior,
Knut Drewing, and Mareike Hennings, and Gisa Aschersleben
January 1996, Fiziologiia cheloveka,
Knut Drewing, and Mareike Hennings, and Gisa Aschersleben
March 2010, NeuroImage,
Knut Drewing, and Mareike Hennings, and Gisa Aschersleben
January 2015, Journal of clinical movement disorders,
Knut Drewing, and Mareike Hennings, and Gisa Aschersleben
March 1990, Behavioural brain research,
Knut Drewing, and Mareike Hennings, and Gisa Aschersleben
November 2001, Human movement science,
Knut Drewing, and Mareike Hennings, and Gisa Aschersleben
March 2016, Neuroscience letters,
Knut Drewing, and Mareike Hennings, and Gisa Aschersleben
December 2012, Human movement science,
Copied contents to your clipboard!