Kinematic analysis of the formation of precise instrumental movements in cats

The kinematic parameters of the manipulatory motor reactions in the dynamics of the formation and consolidation of a precision skill consisting in the displacement and subsequent holding of a lever in a zone of "work" space signalized by a sound were studied in experiments on cats. It was established that the development of the skill passes through a stage of disinhibition of slow movements with a prolonged increase, prior to the appearance of the sound signal, in velocity. The skill which is consolidated in the course of subsequent training sessions is accomplished by uniform movements of the ballistic type, and is characterized by independance from the acoustic indication of the final position. At the same time, the relationship of the duration of the increase in acceleration to the beginning of the inhibition of the movement becomes an invariant parameter of the central program of the precision reactions.