Effect of Variable Visual-Feedback Delay on Movement Time

Abstract

The effects of variable feedback delays on movement time were examined in a three-dimensional (3D) virtual environment. The participants' task was to use a 3D controller to position a cursor in targets as they appeared in a cubic workspace. Both the mean and standard deviation of the delay between the movement of the controller and the displayed position of the cursor were manipulated. In addition, the size of the targets and the distance between targets were varied. The results suggested that movement times are much more strongly affected by mean delay than by delay variability and that the effect of both variables is greatest during the closed-loop component of the movement. The results are discussed in relation to buffering strategies for reducing delay variability, Fitts' law, and other descriptions of aimed movements.

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