This thesis presents two studies that investigate how vision is used to control rapid, compensatory reach-to-grasp reactions. Compensatory grasping reactions were evoked in healthy young adults via unpredictable translations of large platforms on which the subjects stood or walked. The first study tracked natural gaze behaviour during responses to unexpected balance perturbations. It provided evidence that, unlike with voluntary movements, the eyes do not lead the hand during balance recovery – subjects relied on ‘stored’ information from central vision, continuously-available peripheral vision, or a combination of these sources to guide the hand. The second study investigated the efficacy of reliance on peripheral vision to guide rapid reach-to-grasp balance-recovery reactions. Peripheral vision was found to guide reach-to-grasp responses with sufficient accuracy to achieve a functional grasp of a relatively small handhold; however, peripherally-guided movements were slower when the handhold was in the extreme periphery.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TORONTO/oai:tspace.library.utoronto.ca:1807/17436 |
| Date | 14 July 2009 |
| Creators | King, Emily Catherine |
| Contributors | Maki, Brian Edward |
| Source Sets | University of Toronto |
| Language | en_ca |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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