Sensorimotor Control Laboratory, School of Human Kinetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada.
Perceptual-Motor Dynamics Laboratory, School of Kinesiology, Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z1, Canada.
Exp Brain Res. 2021 Jul;239(7):2025-2041. doi: 10.1007/s00221-021-06109-5. Epub 2021 Apr 28.
The Process Dissociation Procedure (PDP) and Verbal Report Framework (VRF) reveal that both explicit (conscious) and implicit (unconscious) processes contribute to visuomotor adaptation. We looked to determine whether these two assessment methods establish similar processes underlying visuomotor adaptation by comparing the magnitude of explicit and implicit adaptation over time between the two assessments and to post-experiment assessments of awareness of the visuomotor distortion. Three groups of participants (PDP, VRF, VRF No-Cursor) completed three blocks of reach training in a virtual environment with a cursor rotated 40° clockwise relative to hand motion. Explicit and implicit adaptations were assessed immediately following each block, and again 5 min later. The VRF No-Cursor group completed the same assessment trials as the VRF group, but no visual feedback was presented during explicit and implicit assessment. Finally, participants completed a post-experiment questionnaire and a drawing task to assess their awareness of the visuomotor rotation and changes in reaches at the end of the experiment, respectively. We found that all groups adapted their reaches to the rotation. Averaged across participants, the magnitude and retention of explicit and implicit adaptations were similar between the PDP group and VRF group, with the VRF group demonstrating greater implicit adaptation than the VRF No-Cursor group. Furthermore, the magnitude of explicit adaptation established in the VRF group was not related to participant's post-experiment awareness of the visuomotor distortion nor how they had changed their reaches, as observed in the PDP group and VRF No-Cursor group. Together, these results indicate that, explicit adaptation established via typical VRF methods does not reflect one's awareness of the visuomotor distortion at the end of the experiment, and hence the established processes underlying visuomotor adaptation are dependent on method of assessment (i.e., PDP versus VRF).
过程分离程序（PDP）和言语报告框架（VRF）揭示，外显（意识）和内隐（无意识）过程都有助于运动适应。我们试图通过比较两种评估方法在时间上的外显和内隐适应的幅度，以及实验后对视觉运动扭曲的意识的评估，来确定这两种评估方法是否确定了视觉运动适应的相似过程。三组参与者（PDP、VRF、VRF 无光标）在一个虚拟环境中完成了三个回合的接近训练，光标相对于手的运动顺时针旋转 40°。在每个回合结束后立即评估外显和内隐适应，然后在 5 分钟后再次评估。VRF 无光标组完成了与 VRF 组相同的评估试验，但在进行外显和内隐评估时没有呈现视觉反馈。最后，参与者完成了实验后的问卷调查和绘图任务，分别评估他们对视觉运动旋转的意识和实验结束时的到达变化。我们发现，所有组都适应了他们的到达旋转。平均而言，PDP 组和 VRF 组的外显和内隐适应的幅度和保留率相似，VRF 组的内隐适应比 VRF 无光标组更大。此外，VRF 组中建立的外显适应的幅度与参与者在实验结束时对视觉运动扭曲的意识以及他们如何改变他们的到达无关，如在 PDP 组和 VRF 无光标组中观察到的。总的来说，这些结果表明，通过典型的 VRF 方法建立的外显适应并不能反映参与者在实验结束时对视觉运动扭曲的意识，因此视觉运动适应的基础过程取决于评估方法（即 PDP 与 VRF）。
