Abstract
“Reaching”, the movement involved in straightening the arm toward a particular target, has been studied from various points of view. The present study considered how to divide the component of movement into ballistic and corrective movements. Utilizing the devised method, it was examined the relationship between the initial movement, the change in the ratio of the component of movement, and the results in a task involving the direct manipulation of a pen-tablet interface.
The results confirmed that the relationships between both the initial velocity and the ratio of the ballistic-corrective movement (MTC/MTB), and between the ratio of the ballistic-corrective movement and the movement's accuracy did not depend on the experimental condition. Moreover, these ratios were very stable. As well, constant tendency was confirmed in the relationship between the initial velocity and the task's result. However, a difference was seen in the latter regarding differences in experimental conditions. Therefore, the baseline parameters of each task condition should be established preliminarily.
In conclusion, it could be suggested that the accuracy of a manipulation task's performance could be predicted by the initial movement.
