The time course of direction specification in brief interceptive actions

In fastball sports such as baseball and tennis people are required to produce accurate responses following brief observations of the ball. This limits the time available to prepare the movement. To cope with constrained viewing periods which precede the interception of fast approaching balls, performers are likely to prepare their responses in advance. Although motor preparation may begin before the moving object is seen, accuracy requires that certain program parameters are determined from observations of the target. The aim of the experiment reported here was to determine the last moment at which information about the direction of the target can be incorporated into a motor program. The empirical protocol used in this study allowed us to examine whether new direction information is incorporated discretely or continuously into the program during short intervals prior to movement onset (MO) - the preparation interval. Participants were trained to hit moving targets at two directions with movements of a specific duration (180 ms). This method permitted an estimate of MO. Preparation intervals were controlled by issuing a stimulus cue for movement direction at various times prior to the estimated MO. Results showed that direction information could be fully incorporated into the program with a preparation interval as brief as 250 ms. In addition, the results indicated that direction was specified predominantly in a discrete fashion even at short preparation intervals.