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Updated: May 8, 2026
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Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior
Published on: April 16, 2014
Visual and kinesthetic components of pursuit-tracking performance
H I Thorsheim1, L Houston, C Badger
1a Department of Psychology , Saint Olaf College.
Journal of Motor Behavior
|August 20, 2013
Summary
This study on motor learning found that more visual feedback during pursuit rotor training improves performance. Reduced visual feedback after training did not hinder performance if kinesthetic feedback was learned.
Area of Science:
- Motor Learning
- Human Motor Control
- Perceptual-Motor Skills
Background:
- Adams' (1971) closed-loop theory posits motor learning relies on feedback loops.
- Understanding the role of visual and kinesthetic feedback is crucial for motor skill acquisition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how varying levels of visual feedback affect motor learning on a pursuit rotor task.
- To examine the transfer of learning and the role of compensatory feedback mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Seventy-five participants trained on a pursuit rotor task under different strobe light frequencies (visual feedback conditions).
- A transfer trial with consistent visual feedback was administered to all participants post-training.
- Performance was measured based on accuracy and consistency during the task.
Main Results:
- Motor performance significantly improved with increased visual feedback during training.
- Performance in the transfer trial was maintained even with reduced visual feedback, suggesting adaptation.
- Learned reliance on kinesthetic feedback compensated for reduced visual input.
Conclusions:
- Findings support Adams' closed-loop theory of motor learning.
- The amount of available visual feedback directly influences the rate of motor skill acquisition.
- Motor learning involves developing compensatory feedback loops, including kinesthetic reliance, to maintain performance under altered sensory conditions.
