Influence of different types of grasping on the transport component of prehension movements

The main aim of the present study was to clarify whether different types of grasping may affect the transport component of prehension movements. To this purpose two experiments were carried out. In the first experiment the kinematics of arm movements (transport and manipulation components) were studied in eight normal subjects instructed to reach and grasp different objects located either 20 or 30 cm from their hand. The objects employed required two different types of grip: prehension with the whole hand and prehension with the index finger and the thumb (precision grip). In the second experiment subjects were instructed to point to the same objects employed in the first experiment. This experiment served as a control for the precision requirements related to the object size. The results showed that, once the precision requirements were taken into account, the transport component remained unmodified with the different types of grip. The time course of the manipulation component and its temporal relations with the transport component changed with the type of grasping. The maximal hand aperture was reached earlier in the precision grip than in the whole hand prehension and the temporal coupling with the transport component was weaker in the former condition than in the latter. The data are interpreted as further evidence in favour of independence between the transport and the manipulation "channels".