The relationship between force and force variability in minimal and near-maximal static and dynamic contractions

The critical assumption of linearity between force and force variability for rapid movements made by Schmidt, Zelaznik, and Frank (1978) was studied in four experiments in the present study. The first three experiments extended earlier work showing linearity between force and force variability for submaximal force levels in static and dynamic contractions. However, at near-maximal force levels, when force was increased, force variability leveled off and then decreased in both static and dynamic conditions. A fourth experiment using the rapid-timing paradigm showed that increased submaximal loads on the movement produced slight decreases in VE. But when the loads were larger, where force and force variability were no longer linearly related, increased load led to larger decreases in VE. These observations led to the hypothesis that VE is linearly related to the ratio of force variability to force; data from two experiments are presented that support this idea. The motor-output variability theory seems to hold for a wide range of sub-maximal force values, but needs modification for those conditions where near-maximal forces are required.