Planning and Control of Object Manipulation Tasks

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Research on the control of goal-directed action has focused on reaching movements directed towards objects. However, most daily tasks involve interacting with objects as they are located and selected, grasped, and manipulated. Understanding how the brain controls such tasks requires considering how the sensorimotor system interacts with cognitive systems involved in representing objects in memory, searching for and selecting which object to act on, and allocating attentional resources. The broad goal of my interdisciplinary research program, which combines behavioural experiments, computational modelling, and neuroimaging, is to understand how the brain controls real-world action tasks. This proposal outlines four inter-related projects, each tackling a fundamental research question critical to understanding how sensorimotor and cognitive systems interact to plan and control object manipulation tasks. Real-world action tasks often involve operating in cluttered environments in which target objects must be located. Although a large body of research has investigated factors that shape visual search, little is known about how visual search is organized when scanning for target objects that will actually be acted upon once found. Project 1 will test the novel hypothesis that motor factors influence visual search when searching for target objects to be acted upon. Every day action tasks often involve selecting a target object from among multiple potential target objects. It has been suggested that, prior to selecting a target, the brain represents competing options in parallel. However, the evidence supporting this provocative idea have been equivocal. Project 2 will critically test the parallel planning hypothesis by assessing, using fMRI, whether primary motor areas represent competing motor plans prior to action selection. Skilled manipulation requires forming memories of object dynamics, linking the force applied to an object to it resulting motion. It has been assumed that such memories are associated with entire objects. However, we recently provided evidence that multiple motor memories can be formed when controlling different locations, or control points, on an object. Project 3 includes behavioural experiments to probe the key features of control points, and fMRI experiments aimed at understanding the neural bases of multiple motor memory formation linked to control points. In natural settings, manipulation tasks are performed in parallel with other tasks that compete for attention and gaze. The aim of Project 4 is to understand the factors that determine when and where we direct our gaze in such multi-tasking contexts. We will examine eye-hand coordination when performing manipulation tasks in parallel with other tasks, with the goal of determining the critical functions of gaze in supporting manual performance. These projects will be lead by trainees who will gain expertise working with state-of-the-art techniques and approaches.