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Updated: May 8, 2026
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Efficiently Recording the Eye-Hand Coordination to Incoordination Spectrum
Published on: March 21, 2019
What the eye tells the hand
1a Department of Physiology , Guy's Hospital Medical School , London.
Journal of Motor Behavior
|August 20, 2013
Summary
Visual information is crucial for coordinating hand movements and maintaining posture. Accuracy is more affected by visual loss than speed, and afferent noise may disrupt movement pre-programs.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Motor Control
- Human-Computer Interaction
Background:
- Coordinating hand movements with visual feedback is essential for daily tasks.
- Understanding the information flow between vision and motor control is key to explaining movement dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To summarize and experimentally verify the information flow required for vision-hand movement coordination.
- To quantitatively investigate the relationship between movement speed, accuracy, and visual information.
- To explore the role of visual information in maintaining posture and controlling limb movements.
Main Methods:
- An information-theoretic approach was employed to analyze experimental data.
- Experiments were designed to quantitatively assess the impact of visual information loss on hand movements.
- The study examined the effects of visual information on standing posture, arm, shoulder, and wrist movements.
Main Results:
- A reciprocal relationship between hand movement speed and accuracy was confirmed.
- Movement accuracy was found to be more sensitive to visual information loss than the pacing mechanism.
- Both speed and accuracy were sensitive to the withdrawal of information necessary for maintaining posture.
- Afferent noise was suggested to interfere with the retrieval of movement pre-programs.
Conclusions:
- Visual information plays a critical role in both the accuracy and speed of hand movements.
- Maintaining upright posture relies heavily on visual feedback, impacting motor control.
- Disruptions in sensory information, or afferent noise, can hinder the execution of pre-programmed movements.
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