Abstract
When we reach towards an object that suddenly appears in our peripheral visual field, not only does our arm extend towards the object, but our eyes, head and body also move in such a way that the image of the object falls on the fovea. Popular models of how reaching movements are programmed1,2 have argued that while the first part of the limb movement is ballistic, subsequent corrections to the trajectory are made on the basis of dynamic feedback about the relative positions of the hand and the target provided by central vision. These models have assumed that the adjustments are dependent on seeing the hand moving with respect to the target. Here we present evidence that a change in the position of a visual target during a reaching movement can modify the trajectory even when vision of the hand is prevented. Moreover, these dynamic corrections to the trajectory of the moving limb occur without the subject perceiving the change in target location. These findings demonstrate that (1) visual feedback about the relative position of the hand and target is not necessary for visually driven corrections in reaching to occur, and (2) the mechanisms that maintain the apparent stability of a target in space are dissociable from those that mediate the visuomotor outputdirected at that target.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Rent or buy this article
Prices vary by article type
from$1.95
to$39.95
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Keele, S. W. in Handbook of Physiology. The Nervous System. Vol. 2 (ed. Brooks, V.) 1391–1414 (American Physiological Society, Baltimore, 1981).
Paillard, J. in Analysis of Visual Behavior (eds Ingle, D., Goodale, M. A. & Mansfield, R. M.) 367–385 (MIT Press, 1982).
Bauer, J. A. Jr, Woods, G. D. & Held, R. A device for rapid recording of positioning responses in two dimensions, Behavioral Research Methods and Instrumentaion 1, 157–159 (1969).
Bridgeman, B., Lewis, S., Heit, G. & Nagle, M. J. exp. Psychol., hum. Percept. Perform. 5, 692–700 (1979).
Perenin, M. T. & Jeannerod, M. Neuropsychology 16, 1–13 (1978).
Weiskrantz, L., Warrington, E., Sanders, M. D. & Marshall, J. Brain 97, 709–728 (1974).
Henson, D. B. Vision Res. 18, 63–67 (1978).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Goodale, M., Pelisson, D. & Prablanc, C. Large adjustments in visually guided reaching do not depend on vision of the hand or perception of target displacement. Nature 320, 748–750 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1038/320748a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/320748a0
This article is cited by
-
The effect of impaired velocity signals on goal-directed eye and hand movements
Scientific Reports (2023)
-
When intercepting moving targets, mid-movement error corrections reflect distinct responses to visual and haptic perturbations
Experimental Brain Research (2023)
-
Continuous use of visual information about the position of the moving hand
Experimental Brain Research (2023)
-
How similar are responses to background motion and target displacements?
Experimental Brain Research (2022)
-
The influences of target size and recent experience on the vigour of adjustments to ongoing movements
Experimental Brain Research (2022)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.