Movement Control in Skilled Motor Performance

The speed and accuracy of single movements depend on several factors, such as direction of movement, distance to the target, and accompaniment by simultaneous movements. The relation between speed, accuracy, and distance appears to be determined by the time required to process feedback and to make corrective alterations in the movement. For a repetitive series of movements, there is some evidence suggesting that control is shifted from feedback to a motor program. This view receives further support from demonstrations that the reproduction of single movements may be under programmed control. How the study of movements may be relevant to understanding perceptual and memory skills, as well as motor skills, is briefly mentioned.