Biomedical subjects

I J Wuyts

Publications and source records attributed to I J Wuyts.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1999

Gender differences in choice reaction time: evidence for differential strategies.

This study considered the hypothesis that on some tasks men and women might employ different information processing strategies. Twelve male and 12 female participants performed a 2- and 4-choice, compatible and incompatible, choice reaction time task that required a verbal response to a spatial location target stimulus. Results demonstrated a near-significant overall reaction time advantage for male participants. Moreover, males and females showed a differential pattern of reaction time as a function of stimulus location. Specifically, in the 4-choice-compatible condition, females exhibited a linear increase in reaction time as a function of the left-right dimension; males, on the other hand, showed a two-component, step-like increase. It was suggested that this gender difference in reaction time performance may reflect differences in processing strategy. Specifically, it was argued that in the present task females may have employed a serial, left-to-right, processing strategy, and males a binary, split-half (dichotomizing) strategy.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Spontaneous and intentional pattern switching in a multisegmental bimanual coordination task.

Two experiments required right-handed subjects to trace circular trajectories while complying with either a symmetric or asymmetric pattern. In symmetric patterns, circles were traced in a mirror image either inward or outward. In asymmetric patterns, circles were traced in the same direction either clockwise or counterclockwise. Subjects were instructed to trace with spatial accuracy while maintaining a strict temporal relationship to a metronome that scaled movement rates from 1.25 to 3 Hz. The symmetric patterns were more stable than asymmetric patterns; the circularity of trajectories was greater for the dominant side; and there were spontaneous reversals in the direction of circling in the nondominant limb when performing asymmetric patterns. The second experiment examined the same subjects under the instruction of intentionally changing the pattern by reversing the left or right limb circling direction when cued to do so. The degree of interlimb interference was highly asymmetric and contingent on the direction of pattern change. Intentional direction reversals were more expedient and with less disruption to the contralateral limb when asymmetric to symmetric pattern changes were effected through a reversal in the direction of nondominant side. The results are interpreted with reference to evidence that the supplementary motor area mediates descending input to the upper limbs during disparate bimanual actions, but not during symmetric actions.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

The effects of visual and auditory models on the learning of a rhythmical synchronization dance skill.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of visual and auditory concurrent models on the acquisition of a rhythmical synchronization task. Subjects attempted to synchronize a series of dance steps to the beat of two auditory rhythms. Subjects performed five trial blocks in one of four practice conditions: (a) audio-visual (auditory rhythms combined with a visual model), (b) audio-auditory (auditory rhythms combined with an auditory model), (c) auditory only (auditory rhythms with no model), and (d) visual only (no auditory rhythms but exposure to a visual model). Rhythmical timing and synchronization accuracy served as the dependent variables. Results revealed no practice condition learning differences for rhythmical timing. For synchronization accuracy, the audio-auditory group produced significantly lower error scores at acquisition, but no differences were found at retention. Apparently, the availability of models created an information dependency that resulted in a decrease of performance and, consequently, no group differences in retention.

Adolescent↗