The temporal locus of the one-target advantage in rapid aimed movements

The execution of a fast aimed movement takes less time when it is performed in isolation than when it is followed by a movement to a second target. The most recent explanation of this so-called one-target advantage (OTA) is the movement integration hypothesis. The first movement is slowed down to enable a neuromuscular integration of the first and second movements so that a presumably smooth transition between the two movements can take place. The present study shows that the time increase underlying the OTA does not happen just before the transition takes place, but is located in the initial part of the first movement element of the two-tap sequence. It is discussed how such a temporal occurrence relates to the transition of the first movement to the second.