1. Experiments with behavioral tasks only
A. Interactions between sensory and motor processes in the brain
- Time commitment: Two sessions of 1.5 hours each.
- Additional eligibility restrictions: Participants must be between 18—45 years of age and right-handed.
- Payment: You will receive a gift card valued at $30 after completing the final session.
The ability to adapt movements to changes in the environment is an important feature of the human brain. While motor areas of the brain are critical for such learning, recent evidence suggests that sensory areas are also affected. This study investigates the effect of motor learning on vision and position sense. You will be seated in front of a robotic arm with a handle that you grasp in your hand. You will look into a mirror where you will see reaching targets and error feedback. Holding the handle, you will move to a series of targets you see in the mirror. Sometimes the handle will offer resistance and other times it won’t.
B. A tool for accurate measurement of proprioception in the clinical setting
- Time commitment: One session of about 40 minutes.
- Additional eligibility restrictions: None.
- Payment: You will receive a gift card valued at $5 after completing the session.
Even when you have your eyes closed, your brain knows where your hands are. This position sense is called proprioception, and arises from sensors in your joints and muscles. Proprioception is very important for controlling movement, and impairments in this sense can have a major impact on daily function. We will measure position sense of your right and left index finger using two different methods. Both involve making judgments about where your finger is when you can’t see it. In addition, we will measure the dexterity of each hand by asking you to place small pegs into a pegboard.
C. Measuring and modeling the effect of learning on sensorimotor learning
- Time commitment: One session of about 1 hour.
- Additional eligibility restrictions: Participants must be 18-45 years of age and right handed.
- Payment: You will receive a gift card valued at $10 after completing the session.
The ability to adapt movements to changes in the environment is an important feature of the human brain. While motor areas of the brain are critical for such learning, recent evidence suggests that sensory areas are also affected. This study investigates the influence of learning on adapting to a new environment. You will be seated in front of a robotic arm with a handle that you grasp in your hand. You will look into a mirror where you will see reaching targets and error feedback. Holding the handle, you will move to a series of targets you see in the mirror. Sometimes the handle will offer resistance and other times it won’t.