Role of movement amplitude to timing control in bimanual coordination

A bimanual coordinative pattern consists of the movement frequency, movement amplitude, and relative phase between the two hands. This study examined a role of the movement amplitude to timing in the bimanual coordination. 12 subjects (8 men and 4 women; mean age of 21.8 yr.) reproduced 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, 3:2, and 5:3 polyrhythmic tapping patterns. No difference was shown between the amplitudes of the two hands in each pattern. However, the amplitude of complex (3:2 and 5:3) patterns was larger than of simple (1:1, 2:1, and 3:1) patterns. It is concluded that the complicated timing control is attained by increasing the amplitude.