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Related Experiment Videos

Foot-targeting in reaching and grasping.

W A Sparrow1, J van der Kamp, G J P Savelsbergh

  • 1School of Health Sciences, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Hwy, Burwood 3125, Melbourne, Australia. sparrow@deakin.edu.au

Gait & Posture
|July 12, 2003
PubMed
Summary

People"s foot placement when reaching for an object is consistent, showing a foot-targeting phenomenon. Hand dominance influences foot positioning, especially when reaching across the body.

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Area of Science:

  • Biomechanics
  • Motor Control
  • Human Movement Science

Background:

  • Understanding how humans position their feet during reaching tasks is crucial for motor control research.
  • Previous studies have explored reaching kinematics, but the interplay between foot placement and hand dominance requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate foot positioning strategies during a stop-to-grasp task.
  • To determine the influence of hand dominance on foot placement relative to a target object.
  • To identify potential foot-targeting phenomena in reaching behaviors.

Main Methods:

  • Participants (right-handed and left-handed adults) stopped walking to grasp a stationary ball at shoulder height.
  • Foot positioning was analyzed by calculating the centroid location (toe and heel coordinates) relative to the target.

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  • Anterior-posterior and medial-lateral centroid locations, as well as foot orientation, were measured.

    • Main Results:

    • A foot-targeting phenomenon was observed, with consistent foot centroid locations within target conditions.
    • Grasping hand influenced medial-lateral foot positioning, with a shift towards the midline for the dominant hand.
    • Neither right-handed nor left-handed participants adopted optimal foot positions when the target was contralateral to their dominant hand.

    Conclusions:

    • Foot position is closely associated with the grasping hand during reach-to-grasp actions.
    • Hand dominance plays a significant role in modulating foot placement, particularly in the medial-lateral dimension.
    • The findings suggest that foot-dominance influences motor planning for reaching and grasping tasks.