Visual regulation of gait in bipedal locomotion: revisiting Lee, Lishman, and Thomson (1982)

This study expanded the database regarding the visual regulation of gait in the long jump approach (LJA) in the direction of novice long jumpers. It showed that the pattern of visual influence on gait adjustments was similar for novices and experts. This was taken to indicate that visual regulation of gait in the LJA is not a specially trained skill as much as it is a natural means of controlling gait. The study also showed that novices' step lengths were regulated principally by modifying vertical impulse. This finding replicated that of an influential study by D. N. Lee, J. R. Lishman, and J. A. Thomson (1982). Results are discussed with respect to the prevailing ecological notion that the optical variable tau provides principal informational support for regulation of gait in the LJA.