The Goal of the Research
The goal of the study was to examine the impact of altering the moment of inertia on SRT, motor time, and premotor time (Anson, 1989). It was hypothesized that changes in the moment of inertia would affect SRT and motor time without any impact on the premotor time.
How the Goal Relates to My Research
Motor control roles are assigned to the cerebral cortex. As a result, specific functions are also linked to specific areas of the brain. It is hypothesized that the premotor cortex holds programs that are released to the motor cortex and subsequently conveyed to the spinal cord and muscles. However, stimuli need to be processed in the motor area before discharging the stored program. Previous studies showed that different anatomical units elicited varying SRTs, which was attributed to disparities between moments of inertia between limb segments. Therefore, it was necessary to explore in detail the impact of the moment of inertia on SRT.
Summary
Two experiments were used to achieve the goals of the study. The first experiment entailed increasing moment of inertia of the forearm by including a weighted cuff secured around the wrist. In the second experiment, the alteration of the moment of inertia involved adding a weighted sleeve to the index finger before extending the digit swiftly. The two experiments revealed that increasing the moment of inertia raised the SRT and motor time without affecting the premotor time (Anson, 1989). It was concluded that additional neuromotor programming time was not a prerequisite for increasing the moment of inertia. However, this increase affected the overall time required to instigate a response.
References
Anson, J. G. (1982). Memory drum theory: Alternative tests and explanations for the complexity effects on simple reaction time. Journal of Motor Behavior, 14(3), 228-246.
Anson, J. G. (1989). Effects of moment of inertia on simple reaction time. Journal of Motor Behavior, 21(1), 60-71.
Christina, R. W., & Rose, D. J. (1985). Premotor and motor reaction time as a function of response complexity. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 56(4), 306-315.