title: The development of pursuit tracking skills.
abstract: This article examines the development of the visual-motor skill of pursuit tracking. Parameters studied include tracking error and emotional tension, as manifested in heart rate and strength of grip exerted on the control handle used in the task. A specially developed device converted grip strength into an electrical signal suitable for analysis. Grip strength proved to be a more sensitive indicator of development and level of skill than traditionally used parameters of tracking error stabilization and minimization of emotional-autonomic shifts. Computation of the ratio of grip strength to tracking error makes it possible to estimate the "physiological cost" and, thus, reliability of operator performance. The device for registering grip strength is incorporated into the control system and may be used in systems providing continuous diagnostic information without interfering with operator performance.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Moscow, U.S.S.R.
authors.forename: M V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Frolov
authors.forename: E P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Sviridov
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Milovanova
authors.forename: I V
authors.initials: IV
authors.lastname: Andreyev
mesh_terms: D000337:Aerospace Medicine; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*