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Sensorimotor confidence during explicit motor adaptation
Marissa H Evans1, Michael S Landy1,2
1Dept. of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|November 24, 2025
Summary
Humans adapt sensorimotor skills by using proprioception and prior information to gauge confidence in action success. Confidence recovery after perturbations is slower than motor adaptation, revealing distinct dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Motor Control
- Human Adaptation
Background:
- Humans exhibit remarkable adaptability to sudden sensory feedback changes.
- Understanding the cues for confidence in action success and its dynamics during sensorimotor adaptation is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate multisensory and motor-execution cues used for sensorimotor confidence.
- To determine if confidence dynamics parallel sensorimotor adaptation dynamics.
- To compare Bayesian models of sensorimotor confidence.
Main Methods:
- Participants performed reaching movements with visual perturbations.
- Confidence was continuously assessed by adjusting an arc size.
- Four Bayesian models incorporating prospective and retrospective cues were compared using least-squares cross-validation.
Main Results:
- Most participants utilized proprioception alongside prior information for confidence judgments.
- Confidence recovered exponentially to pre-perturbation levels post-adaptation.
- The rate of confidence recovery was slower than the rate of motor learning.
Conclusions:
- Proprioception plays a key role in sensorimotor confidence during adaptation.
- Confidence and motor adaptation exhibit distinct recovery dynamics.
- Bayesian inference models provide a framework for understanding sensorimotor confidence.
