Action preparation in grasping reveals generalization of precision between implicit and explicit motor processes

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Motor Control
• Human Perception

Background:

• The ability to implicitly represent potential grasps upon object perception is widely accepted.
• However, the influence of these implicit representations on explicit grasp execution remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how implicit grasp representations, elicited by distractors, affect explicit grasp execution.
• To explore the interaction between implicit and explicit sensorimotor processes during grasping.

Main Methods:

• An open-loop paradigm was used with participants grasping test disks of varying sizes using specific grip configurations.
• Congruent or incongruent distractors preceded the test objects to elicit implicit representations.
• Preview reaction times and grasp kinematics were measured to assess action preparation and sensorimotor representations.

Main Results:

• Distractors influenced action preparation, demonstrating an interaction between implicit and explicit processes.
• Costs in action preparation were observed only when the implicit process was less precise than the explicit grasp.
• A precision generalization mechanism was proposed for sensorimotor process interaction.

Conclusions:

• Implicit grasp representations can influence explicit motor control, particularly when precision differs between processes.
• Findings contribute to understanding real-time motor control and theories of motor cognition.