title: Measuring generalization of visuomotor perturbations in wrist movements using mobile phones.
abstract: Recent studies in motor control have shown that visuomotor rotations for reaching have narrow generalization functions: what we learn during movements in one direction only affects subsequent movements into close directions. Here we wanted to measure the generalization functions for wrist movement. To do so we had 7 subjects performing an experiment holding a mobile phone in their dominant hand. The mobile phone's built in acceleration sensor provided a convenient way to measure wrist movements and to run the behavioral protocol. Subjects moved a cursor on the screen by tilting the phone. Movements on the screen toward the training target were rotated and we then measured how learning of the rotation in the training direction affected subsequent movements in other directions. We find that generalization is local and similar to generalization patterns of visuomotor rotation for reaching.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Northwestern University and Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America. hugoguh@gmail.com
authors.forename: Hugo Liberal
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.forename: Mark Vincent
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Albert
authors.forename: Konrad Paul
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Kording
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D040421:Cell Phone; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D014953:Wrist / Q000502:physiology*