Does Perceptual-Motor Calibration Generalize across Two Different Forms of Locomotion? Investigations of Walking and Wheelchairs

作者：Kunz Benjamin R^*; Creem Regehr Sarah H; Thompson William B

来源：PLos One, 2013, 8(2): e54446.

DOI：10.1371/journal.pone.0054446

The relationship between biomechanical action and perception of self-motion during walking is typically consistent and well-learned but also adaptable. This perceptual-motor coupling can be recalibrated by creating a mismatch between the visual information for self-motion and walking speed. Perceptual-motor recalibration of locomotion has been demonstrated through effects on subsequent walking without vision, showing that learned perceptual-motor coupling influences a dynamic representation of one%26apos;s spatial position during walking. Our present studies test whether recalibration of wheelchair locomotion, a novel form of locomotion for typically walking individuals, similarly influences subsequent wheelchair locomotion. Furthermore, we test whether adaptation to the pairing of visual information for self-motion during one form of locomotion transfers to a different locomotion modality. We find strong effects of perceptual-motor recalibration for matched locomotion modalities - walking/walking and wheeling/wheeling. Transfer across incongruent locomotion modalities showed weak recalibration effects. The results have implications both for theories of perceptualmotor calibration mechanisms and their effects on spatial orientation, as well as for practical applications in training and rehabilitation.

• 出版日期2013-2-12