The Impact of Hand Movement Velocity on Cognitive Conflict Processing in a 3D Object Selection Task

Published: March 29, 2021, 1:03 a.m.

Link to bioRxiv paper: http://biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2020.04.21.053512v1?rss=1 Authors: Singh, A. K., Gramann, K., Chen, H.-T., Lin, C.-T. Abstract: Detecting and correcting incorrect body movements is an essential part of everyday interaction with one's environment. The human brain has a constant monitoring system that controls and adjusts our actions according to our surroundings. However, when our brain's predictions about a planned action do not match the sensory inputs resulting from that action, cognitive conflict occurs. Much is known about cognitive conflict in 1D/2D environments; however, less is known about the role of movement characteristics on cognitive conflict in 3D environment. Hence, we devised an object selection task in a virtual reality environment to test how the velocity of hand movements impact a number of brain responses. From a series of analyses of EEG recordings synchronized with motion capture, we found that the velocity of the participants' hand movements modulated the brain's proprioception during the task and induced prediction error negativity. Additionally, prediction error negativity originates in the anterior cingulate cortex and is itself modulated by the ballistic phase of the hand's movement. These findings suggest that velocity is an essential component of integrating hand movements with visual and proprioceptive information during interactions with real and virtual objects. Copy rights belong to original authors. Visit the link for more info