The effects of attention and handedness on coordination dynamics in a bimanual Fitts’ law task

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of attention and handedness on bimanual coordination in the context of a dynamical model of coordinated movements. Participants performed a bimanual, rhythmic Fitts’ law task in which the relative amount of attention directed to each task was manipulated by the relative difficulty associated with the pair of targets that each hand tapped. In both experiments, participants tended to lead with their preferred hand. The effects of attention, though, were mixed, which suggested that there was a combined effect of an attentional asymmetry and an asymmetry in the hands’ uncoupled frequency, both of which are captured in the dynamical model.

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