Task and Effector Constraints on the Kinematics of Pointing Movements

Abstract

Recent work has emphasized the distinction between task and effector constraints underlying performance in Fitts' type discrete pointing tasks. We explored the relative contributions of these constraints in a cursor-pointing task by manipulating the control-display scale, thereby dissociating movement scale at the level of the hand from movement scale at the level of the cursor. Using linear regressions to predict movement time, we found that effector constraints best predict the primary transport phase of the movement, bringing the hand near the target. Visual task constraints underlie the secondary target acquisition phase of the movement. We present a reformulation of Fitts' (1954) index of difficulty, capturing the relative contributions of effector and visual task constraints.