Comparison between manual aiming control and sex in different task constraints

Abstract AIMS This study aimed to investigate the comparison between sex and manual aiming control in different cognitive and motor constraints of the task. METHODS Eighty-four right-handed participants (42 women) performed 110 trials of a manual aiming task with a non-inking pen on a digitizing tablet. The aiming task required four different conditions of execution. The control condition appeared on the computer screen in 70% of the trials, and the other three conditions, (a) distractor, (b) inhibition of response and (c) higher index of difficulty, each appeared in 10% of the trials. RESULTS Compared with women, men produced shorter movement and response times, as well as higher peak velocity in the control and distractor conditions. When the index of difficulty of the task increased, men produced only higher peak velocity. Women produced more corrective movements to achieve the target only in the control condition. CONCLUSION Our results corroborate those of previous studies that indicate sex-specific response strategies when the sensory motor system is challenged by different task constraints.摘要 ### 研究目的 本研究旨在对比不同任务认知与运动约束条件下，性别与手动瞄准控制之间的差异。 ### 研究方法 招募84名右利手参与者（其中女性42名），使用无墨水笔在数位板（digitizing tablet）上完成110次手动瞄准任务试次。该瞄准任务共设置四种执行条件：70%的试次呈现对照条件，剩余三种条件分别为（a）干扰物条件、（b）反应抑制条件、（c）更高难度指数（index of difficulty）条件，各占总试次的10%。 ### 研究结果 与女性参与者相比，男性在对照条件与干扰物条件下的运动时长与反应时更短，峰值速度更高。当任务难度指数提升时，男性仅在峰值速度上表现更优。女性仅在对照条件下会产生更多的修正运动以命中目标。 ### 研究结论 本研究结果佐证了既往相关研究结论，即当感觉运动系统（sensory motor system）受到不同任务约束的挑战时，会呈现性别特异性的响应策略。