title: Are two hands (from different people) better than one? Mode effects and differential transfer between manual coordination modes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We report an experiment in which we investigated differential transfer between unimanual (one-handed), bimanual (two-handed), and intermanual (different peoples' hands) coordination modes.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  People perform some manual tasks faster than others ("mode effects"). However, little is known about transfer between coordination modes. To investigate differential transfer, we draw hypotheses from two perspectives--information based and constraint based--of bimanual and interpersonal coordination and skill acquisition.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants drove a teleoperated rover around a circular path in sets of two 2-min trials using two of the different coordination modes. Speed and variability of the rover's path were measured. Order of coordination modes was manipulated to examine differential transfer and mode effects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Differential transfer analyses revealed patterns of positive transfer from simpler (localized spatiotemporal constraints) to more complex (distributed spatiotemporal constraints) coordination modes paired with negative transfer in the opposite direction. Mode effects indicated that intermanual performance was significantly faster than unimanual performance, and bimanual performance was intermediate. Importantly, all of these effects disappeared with practice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The observed patterns of differential transfer between coordination modes may be better accounted for by a constraint-based explanation of differential transfer than by an information-based one. Mode effects may be attributable to anticipatory movements based on dyads' access to mutual visual information.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although people may be faster using more-complex coordination modes, when operators transition between modes, they may be more effective transitioning from simpler (e.g., bimanual) to more complex (e.g., intermanual) modes than vice versa. However, this difference may be critical only for novel or rarely practiced tasks.
authors: Psychology Department, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA. jamie.gorman@ttu.edu
authors: Jamie C
authors: JC
authors: Gorman
authors: Michael J
authors: MJ
authors: Crites
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D012371:Robotics / Q000379:methods*; D013781:Texas; D014163:Transfer, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult