title: Temporal patterning in cascade juggling.
abstract: A key variable in cascade juggling is the proportion of time that a juggler holds onto a juggled object during a hand cycle, that is, the time from catch to throw in relation to the time from catch to catch. Space-time constraints and principles of frequency locking suggest 3/4 as the primary ratio and 2/3 and 5/8 as the most accessible options. In 5 experiments, object number, mass, and type (ball or scarf) were manipulated together with the frequency at which the objects were juggled. With 5 or 7 balls, the ratio was 3/4, independent of frequency. With 3 balls, the ratio decreased with frequency, with 3/4, 2/3, and 5/8 tending to predominate independently of the force variations induced by variation in object mass. With 3 scarves, ratios varied inversely with frequency and often exceeded 3/4. Implications for a dynamical theory of juggling were discussed with the issue of relative timing in coordination and the manipulation of task constraints as an experimental strategy.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Human Movement Sciences, Free University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Beek
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Turvey
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D009048:Motor Skills; D009949:Orientation; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011601:Psychophysics; D011930:Reaction Time; D013239:Stereotyped Behavior; D013998:Time Perception; D014892:Weight Perception