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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Lexical Decision Task for Studying Written Word Recognition in Adults with and without Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment

Lexical Decision Task for Studying Written Word Recognition in Adults with and without Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment

Published on: June 25, 2019

Whole body lexical decision.

Miguel A Moreno¹, Nigel Stepp, M T Turvey

¹Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, TX 78414-5827, USA. Miguel.Moreno@tamucc.edu

Neuroscience Letters

|December 28, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Muscle activity changes across the whole body, including the thigh and trunk, precede arm movements during decision-making tasks. This suggests a coordinated whole-body response rather than just isolated limb activation.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Human Motor Control
Cognitive Psychology

Background:

Muscle activity changes in the body often precede voluntary arm movements.
The precise timing and distribution of these preparatory muscle changes are not fully understood in the context of cognitive tasks.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the temporal dynamics of muscle activity across the body during a cued arm-raising task.
To determine if preparatory muscle activity is specific to the responding limb or a more generalized response.

Main Methods:

Participants performed a visual lexical decision task, responding by raising either their left or right arm.
Electromyographic (EMG) activity was recorded from thigh, trunk, and shoulder muscles.
The onset of arm movement and EMG activity were precisely measured.

Main Results:

Preparatory muscle activity was observed in thigh, trunk, and shoulder muscles.
The onset of this muscle activity preceded arm movement onset by significant margins (thigh: 225 ms, trunk: 189 ms, shoulder: 120 ms).
The magnitude of the difference in onset favoring word decisions was consistent across all measured muscle sites.

Conclusions:

Motor preparation for a cued arm movement involves widespread muscle activation, not just the prime movers.
The findings support the inclusion of whole-body reaction time and detailed muscle initiation analysis in understanding decision-response processes and mental chronometry.