Coordinated Action in 3-D Space II.
Abstract
Accurate measurements of coordinated human head/eye/hand actions Were made as subjects manipulated or fixated objects within arms' reach. Both tasks were performed under natural conditions in that: (1) binocular gaze was recorded with the upper body free from restraints, and (2) the objects serving as stimuli for the visually-guided motor responses were near the subject's head (<1 m). Accurate gaze under these conditions required that even the smallest movements of the head were compensated by carefully coordinated conjunctive/disjunctive (version/vergence) eye movements. Conditions like these are particularly important for human beings, whose ability to design, fabricate and use tools have given them unmatched mastery of their environment Making accurate measurements under these conditions was novel. It required unique instrumentation developed and only available at the University of Maryland, College Park. Research completed on this grant showed that the large literature on human oculomotor performance, based mainly on recordings made under unnatural conditions (monocular input, a restrained head and targets beyond arms' reach), tends: (1) to underestimate both the flexibility and capacity of the oculomotor system, and (2) to obscure its preferred mode of operation under the conditions that made it possible for humans to evolve their exceptional manipulative skills.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 30, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA329623
Entities
People
- Robert M. Stienman
Organizations
- University of Maryland