RESPONSE BIASES - TONIC NECK RESPONSE AND AFTERCONTRACTION PHENOMENON Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • In the present experiments, an attempt was made to document possible response biases resulting from changes in head position and to determine if this source of bias is additive or interactive in its influence on learned motor responses when paired with response biases arising from the aftercontraction phenomenon (Shea, Shebilske, Kohl, and Guadagnoli, 1991). The results of Experiments 1 and 2 indicated that the influence of head position on response biases was dependent on head position during acquisition and on the direction in which the head was turned with respect to the flexors and extensors involved in the movement; the magnitude of the effect tended to increase as the force of the contraction increased. In Experiment 3, increases in the intensity of a prior contraction were reflected in the magnitude of the response bias and changes in head position were reflected in corresponding changes in response biases. These findings are consistent with the influence of the aftercontraction phenomenon and demonstrations of the tonic neck response. The additive effects arising from precontraction and head position suggest each source of bias results in independent contributions to the performance of learned motor responses. Indeed, head position effects appear to combine with, or offset influences of, prior contractions. © 1982 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

published proceedings

  • JOURNAL OF MOTOR BEHAVIOR

author list (cited authors)

  • SHEA, C. H., GUADAGNOLI, L. A., & DEAN, M.

citation count

  • 10

complete list of authors

  • SHEA, CH||GUADAGNOLI, LA||DEAN, M

publication date

  • March 1995