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Control of multimovement coordination: sensorimotor mechanisms in speech motor programming
J H Abbs1, V L Gracco, K J Cole
1Speech Motor Control Laboratories, Waisman Center on Human Development, Madison, WI 53705-2280, USA.
Journal of Motor Behavior
|June 1, 1984
Summary
Sensorimotor mechanisms coordinate complex movements like speech through task-dependent, calibrated actions. Motor learning involves refining these sensorimotor linkages, challenging traditional motor program concepts.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Motor Control
- Biomechanics
Background:
- Multimovement behaviors require intricate coordination and programming.
- Speech control serves as a key model for understanding complex motor actions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To hypothesize the role of sensorimotor mechanisms in multimovement coordination.
- To explore how sensorimotor actions influence motor programming and learning.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of experimental data from speech motor control.
- Observation of sensorimotor linkages in other motor systems.
Main Results:
- Coordination is achieved via calibrated sensorimotor actions linking movements to functional goals.
- Sensorimotor linkages are task-dependent and explain intermovement motor equivalence.
- Motor learning may involve calibrating these intermovement sensorimotor actions.
Conclusions:
- Sensorimotor adjustments, not wholly prespecified motor programs, shape individual movements and muscle contractions.
- This perspective offers an alternative view on motor program theory.