Further tests of the activity-set hypothesis for warm-up decrement.

Two experiments tested the activity-set hypothesis for warm-up decrement (WUD) in motor tasks, which states that WUD is due to loss of adjustment of essential mechanisms (the activity set) over short periods of no practice. Twenty trials of a linear positioning task (right-hand) were followed by a 10min. rest with activities designed to either reinstate the lost activity set or to interfere with the reinstated activity set. Ten additional trials were given on the right-hand task, and WUD was measured on the first trial. A left-hand positioning task immediately prior to the resumption of right-hand practice greatly reduced WUD relative to a resting control condition, tapping (right-hand) or grip strength (left-hand) tasks after the left-hand positioning task increased WUD, and greater intervals from the end of the left-hand task to the right-hand task increased WUD. These findings supported three predictions from the activity-set hypothesis and supported the hypothesis that WUD is the loss of adjustment over rest of underlying central response mechanisms.

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