title: Bimanual and unimanual convergent goal-directed movement times.
abstract: Three experiments are reported, investigating the effects of using 1 or 2 hands when making convergent low index of difficulty (ID) and visually controlled movements (2 hands meeting together). The experiments involved movements in four different cases-a probe held in the right hand and moved to a target held in the stationary left hand, vice versa of this arrangement, both hands moving with the probe in the right hand and target in the left hand, and vice-versa of this arrangement. Experiments were the standard Fitts' paradigm, moving a pin into a hole and a low-ID task. In Fitts' task, 2-hand movements were faster than 1 hand only at higher IDs; this was also the case in the pin-to-hole transfer task and the movement times were lower when the pin was held in the preferred hand. Movements made with low ID showed a small effect of 1- or 2-handed movements, with the effective amplitude of the movement being reduced by about 20% when 2 hands were used.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management , City University of Hong Kong , Kowloon Tong.
authors.forename: Errol R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: Alan H S
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Steve N H
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Tsang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006040:Goals; D006225:Hand / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Fitts’ law; preferred and nonpreferred hands; two-hand movement times