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Published on: April 16, 2014
A psychological approach to human voluntary movement
1Institute for Occupational Physiology, Ardeystrasse 67, D-44139 Dortmund, Germany. mechsner@ifado.de
Journal of Motor Behavior
|February 8, 2005
Summary
Human movements are planned and stored as perceptual events, not efferent patterns. A psychological approach, focusing on the perceptual-cognitive system, offers a unified view of voluntary movement control, enabling flexibility and creativity.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Motor Control
Background:
- Traditional models focus on efferent motor commands.
- Human voluntary movement control remains incompletely understood.
- The role of perception in motor planning is debated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a perceptual-cognitive framework for understanding human voluntary movements.
- To challenge efferent-based models of motor control.
- To highlight the potential for flexibility and creativity in movement.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical argument and synthesis of existing research.
- Hypothesizing the origin of bimanual coordination.
- Proposing a perceptual-cognitive control model.
Main Results:
- Movements are planned, executed, and stored as perceptible events.
- Spontaneous coordination arises from the perceptual-cognitive level.
- Muscles are tuned to support preferred perceptual movement properties.
- Skilled movements are controlled by the perceptual-cognitive system.
Conclusions:
- A psychological approach offers a unifying perspective for voluntary movement.
- Perceptual-cognitive control allows for flexible, creative, and improvisational movement.
- Movement representations may be sparse and economical.
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