Question 1

Control theory arises mainly in which domain relevant to human motor control?

Accepted Answer

Control theory primarily originates from engineering, where it is used to design systems that maintain desired outputs despite disturbances.

Question 2

Excluding the procedural level of description from the study of human motor control would result, primarily, in the exclusion of

Accepted Answer

Human factors is the study of how people interact with machines and systems. It is concerned with the design of products and systems that are safe, efficient, and easy to use. Procedural level of description is concerned with the steps involved in a task. Excluding this level of description from the study of human motor control would result in the exclusion of human factors.

Question 3

According to the modularity hypothesis as applied to human motor control, one would expect

Accepted Answer

The modularity hypothesis as applied to human motor control holds that specialized modules carry out at least some motor functions. Therefore, researchers in this field would allow for this possibility and take a perspective that acknowledges the existence of these specialized modules. This choice is supported by the wording of the question, which asks what one would expect based on the modularity hypothesis.

Question 4

A way to demonstrate understanding of human motor control would be to pass a Turing test of motor intelligence. This would mean

Accepted Answer

Passing a Turing test of motor intelligence involves developing robots whose movements cannot be distinguished from those of humans. This would require a deep understanding of human motor control, as the robots would need to be able to replicate complex motor tasks and movements with the same fluidity and precision as human beings. The other options are not related to demonstrating understanding of human motor control.

Question 5

In the study of human motor control, animal motor control is considered

Accepted Answer

Animal motor control is a useful way to add to the understanding of the basic challenges and mechanisms of human motor control. Many animal species share common neural and motor mechanisms with humans, which makes studying animal motor control helpful in identifying basic principles that are likely to apply to human motor control.

Question 6

Researchers in the field of human motor control consider variability of performance in tasks like aiming for a target to be

Accepted Answer

Variability of performance is considered inevitable in the field of human motor control. This means that even highly skilled individuals will exhibit some level of variability in their performance, and that it is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, some amount of variability can be adaptive, allowing individuals to adjust to changing task demands or environmental conditions.

Question 7

Oculo-motor control is

Accepted Answer

Oculo-motor control is the control of eye movements, including the coordination of eye movements to track and focus on objects, maintain visual stability during head movements, and adjust the size of the pupils in response to changing light conditions.

Question 8

Developing an understanding of human motor control can benefit

Accepted Answer

Developing an understanding of human motor control can benefit sports by enhancing performance, reducing injury risk, and optimizing training programs. It can also benefit the arts by improving movement coordination and artistic expression. Furthermore, understanding motor control can improve workplace and home productivity by creating safer and more ergonomic environments. Therefore, all of the above options can benefit from a better understanding of human motor control.

Question 9

The study of variability arises mainly in which domain relevant to human motor control?

Accepted Answer

Variability in human motor control is primarily studied within the domain of statistics, as it involves analyzing and understanding the variations in motor performance and behavior.

Question 10

The field of human motor control is concerned with

Accepted Answer

The field of human motor control is concerned with both movement and stability. It involves understanding the neural mechanisms that enable the planning, execution, and adaptation of movements, as well as the mechanisms that underlie the maintenance of stability during movement. It is not directly related to human motivation.

Question 11

Useful levels of description for a system like the human motor system are

Accepted Answer

The human motor system can be best understood at all three levels of description - computational, procedural, and implementation. The computational level deals with the overall goal or purpose of the system, the procedural level deals with the specific algorithms or processes that accomplish the goal, and the implementation level deals with the underlying biological mechanisms that make the system possible. Only by analyzing the system at each of these levels can we gain a comprehensive understanding of how it works.

Question 12

The study of the software underlying human motor control arises mainly in which domain relevant to this field?

Accepted Answer

The study of the software underlying human motor control is mainly relevant to cognitive science, which encompasses the study of mental processes such as perception, attention, memory, and decision-making. Within cognitive science, researchers investigate how the brain processes motor information and generates movements through a combination of behavioral experiments and computational modeling.

Question 13

Human motor control largely relies on tacit knowledge. This is knowledge that

Accepted Answer

Tacit knowledge is implicit, meaning it is difficult to articulate or express directly in language or equations.

Question 14

Excluding the implementation level of description from the study of human motor control would result, primarily, in the exclusion of

Accepted Answer

Excluding the implementation level of description from the study of human motor control would primarily result in the exclusion of neurophysiology, which is the study of the function of the nervous system and how it interacts with different body parts to control movement. Robotics and human factors may also be affected to a certain extent, but they are not directly related to the implementation level of description.

Question 15

Excluding the computational level of description from the study of human motor control would result, primarily, in the exclusion of

Accepted Answer

Robotics heavily relies on the computational level of description to develop models and systems for motor control, so excluding this level of description would result in the exclusion of robotics. Excluding the computational level from the study of motor control would not necessarily exclude neurophysiology or human factors, as these fields can still study motor control at other levels of description.

Quiz 1: Introduction