Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 29, 2026

Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior

Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior

Published on: April 16, 2014

Postural dynamics and the preferred critical boundary for visually guided reaching

L S Mark¹, K Nemeth, D Gardner

¹Department of Psychology, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056, USA. markls@muohio.edu

Journal of Experimental Psychology. Human Perception and Performance

|October 23, 1997

Summary

People choose actions based on environmental affordances and comfort. Reaching actions transition at a preferred boundary, influenced by posture, reflecting relative comfort of available movement modes.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

A review of the Vets on Farm Programme: supporting veterinarians and farmers following the 2023 North Island weather events in Aotearoa New Zealand.

New Zealand veterinary journal·2026

Same author

Clinical clusters during acute illness predict long-term mortality in older patients.

BMC medicine·2025

Same author

Primary aortoenteric fistula.

BMJ case reports·2025

Same author

Pine needle abortions in cattle due to consumption of Pinus ponderosa in Argentina: Case reports.

Toxicon : official journal of the International Society on Toxinology·2024

Same author

Erratum - Tri-Lineage Differentiation of NTERA2 Clone D1 Cells towards Neural, Hepatic and Osteogenic Lineages in Vitro.

Folia biologica·2023

Same author

Tri-Lineage Differentiation of NTERA2 Clone D1 Cells towards Neural, Hepatic and Osteogenic Lineages in Vitro.

Folia biologica·2022

Area of Science:

Motor control
Human-computer interaction
Biomechanics

Background:

Understanding action selection is crucial for human-computer interaction and robotics.
The environment affords specific actions, but individuals choose based on internal factors.
Previous research has identified critical boundaries for movement, but the role of comfort is less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how individuals select reaching actions based on environmental distance and postural dynamics.
To determine if the preferred boundary for action mode transitions is influenced by comfort.
To explore the relationship between environmental affordances and perceived comfort in action selection.

Main Methods:

Observing participants' reaching action modes towards an object at varying distances.

More Related Videos

Frame-by-Frame Video Analysis of Idiosyncratic Reach-to-Grasp Movements in Humans

Frame-by-Frame Video Analysis of Idiosyncratic Reach-to-Grasp Movements in Humans

Published on: January 15, 2018

Assessing Corticospinal Excitability During Goal-Directed Reaching Behavior

Assessing Corticospinal Excitability During Goal-Directed Reaching Behavior

Published on: December 2, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 29, 2026

Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior

Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior

Published on: April 16, 2014

Frame-by-Frame Video Analysis of Idiosyncratic Reach-to-Grasp Movements in Humans

Frame-by-Frame Video Analysis of Idiosyncratic Reach-to-Grasp Movements in Humans

Published on: January 15, 2018

Assessing Corticospinal Excitability During Goal-Directed Reaching Behavior

Assessing Corticospinal Excitability During Goal-Directed Reaching Behavior

Published on: December 2, 2022

Manipulating seated posture to examine its effect on action mode transitions.

Analyzing the transition points (preferred critical boundary) between arm-only and torso-involved reaching.

Main Results:

The transition from arm extension to torso-involved reaching occurred at distances closer than the absolute critical boundary.
Varying seated posture influenced the preferred critical boundary for action mode transitions.
Results suggest that the preferred boundary is related to the relative comfort of available reaching strategies.

Conclusions:

Action selection is modulated by both environmental constraints and internal factors like comfort.
Postural dynamics play a significant role in shaping the preferred critical boundary for reaching actions.
The findings support the hypothesis that perceived comfort influences the choice of movement strategies when interacting with the environment.