title: Minimizing error in measurement of error: a proposed method for calculation of error in a two-dimensional motor task.
abstract: Traditional one-dimensional error scores are still consistently used in research on motor learning to quantify two-dimensional error; however, the inherent differences in two-dimensional tasks render that application inappropriate and often misleading. Consequently, the purpose of this paper was to propose a novel method of presenting errors, which more precisely represents the accuracy, direction, and variability of error in two-dimensional settings. Although closely related to several alternatives for representing errors, the methodology used and the results obtained provide a more accurate procedure for pinpointing critical trends in what have been commonly referred to as AE (absolute error), VE (variable error), CE (constant error), and E (total variability). The proposed measurements of AVE (adjusted variable error), DE (directional error), TSE (total spread of error), and RE (radial error) provide composite error scores carrying a variety of information about performance on two-dimensional tasks. Formulas and examples are provided to facilitate computation and enhance understanding of the proposed scores.
authors.affiliation: Kyungpook National University, Korea.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: L K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Tennant
authors.forename: R N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Singer
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Janelle
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000145:classification* / Q000502:physiology; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis