The influence of previous experience on predictive motor control

Anticipating the consequences of our motor commands is a fundamental compon ent of sensorimotor control. For example, when one hand pulls on an object held in the other, the restraining hand generates an anticipatory increase in grip force thereby preventing the object from slipping. To investigate h ow such anticipation is learned subjects held an object, whose properties w ere under computer control, between their hands. This allowed instant chang es in the behaviour of the manipulated object on a trial by trial basis. Th e extent of grip force modulation seen in one hand, when the other pulled o n the object was found to depend in a systematic way on the object's proper ties experienced over at least the previous three trials. NeuroReport 12:64 9-653 (C) 2001 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.