Authors: Mukta N Joshi Kevin G Keenan
Publish Date: 2016/02/22
Volume: 234, Issue: 7, Pages: 1893-1901
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to identify the influence of a high and lowfriction surface on the ability to maintain a steady downward force during an index finger pressing and moving task Fifteen righthanded subjects 24–48 years performed a static force pressing task and a hybrid pressing and moving task on the surface of an iPad mini while holding a steady 2N force on high and lowfriction surfaces Variability of force was quantified as the standard deviation SD of normal force F z and shear force F xy across friction conditions and tasks The SD of F z was 227 greater during the hybrid task as compared to the static task p 001 and was 19 greater for the high versus lowfriction condition p = 033 There were positive correlations between SD of F z and F xy during the hybrid force/motion tasks on the high and lowfriction conditions r 2 = 05 and 086 respectively suggesting significant associations between normal and shear forces for this hybrid task The correlation between the SD of F z for static and hybrid tasks was r 2 = 044 indicating that the common practice of examining the control of static tasks may not sufficiently explain performance during hybrid tasks at least for the young subjects tested in the current study As activities of daily living frequently require hybrid force/motion tasks eg writing doing the dishes and cleaning counters the results of this study emphasize the need to study motor performance during hybrid tasks in addition to static force tasks
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