title: Virtual Hand Feedback Reduces Reaction Time in an Interactive Finger Reaching Task.
abstract: Computer interaction via visually guided hand or finger movements is a ubiquitous part of daily computer usage in work or gaming. Surprisingly, however, little is known about the performance effects of using virtual limb representations versus simpler cursors. In this study 26 healthy right-handed adults performed cued index finger flexion-extension movements towards an on-screen target while wearing a data glove. They received each of four different types of real-time visual feedback: a simple circular cursor, a point light pattern indicating finger joint positions, a cartoon hand and a fully shaded virtual hand. We found that participants initiated the movements faster when receiving feedback in the form of a hand than when receiving circular cursor or point light feedback. This overall difference was robust for three out of four hand versus circle pairwise comparisons. The faster movement initiation for hand feedback was accompanied by a larger movement amplitude and a larger movement error. We suggest that the observed effect may be related to priming of hand information during action perception and execution affecting motor planning and execution. The results may have applications in the use of body representations in virtual reality applications.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.|Automatic Control Laboratory, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brand
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Piccirelli
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Marie-Claude
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Hepp-Reymond
authors.affiliation: Automatic Control Laboratory, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morari
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.|Centre for MR-Research, University Children's Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Michels
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Kynan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Eng
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003463:Cues; D056228:Feedback, Sensory / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005384:Finger Joint / Q000502:physiology; D005385:Fingers / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*; D014584:User-Computer Interface