Higher visuo-Attentional Demands of Multiple Object Tracking (MOT) Lead to A Lower Precision in Pointing Movements.

Multiple object tracking (MOT) requires visually attending to dynamically moving targets and distractors. This cognitive ability is based on perceptual-attentional processes that are also involved in goal-directed movements. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that MOT affects the motor performa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of General Psychology Vol. 145; no. 2; pp. 134 - 153
Main Authors: Styrkowiec, Piotr, Chrzanowska, Anna
Format: journal article
Published: Taylor & Francis Ltd Apr-Jun2018
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Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
Description
Summary:Multiple object tracking (MOT) requires visually attending to dynamically moving targets and distractors. This cognitive ability is based on perceptual-attentional processes that are also involved in goal-directed movements. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that MOT affects the motor performance of aiming movements. Therefore, the participants performed pointing movements using their fingers or a computer mouse that controlled the movements of a cursor directed at the targets in the MOT task. The precision of the pointing movements was measured, and it was predicted that a higher number of targets and distractors in the MOT task would result in a lower pointing precision. The results confirmed this hypothesis, indicating that MOT might influence the performance of motor actions. The potential factors underlying this influence are discussed.