Comparison between manual aiming control and sex in different task constraints

Abstract

— Aims: This study aimed to investigate the comparison between sex and manual aiming control in different cognitive and motor constraints of the task. Methods: Eighty-four right-handed participants (42 women) performed 110 trials of a manual aiming task with a non-inking pen on a digitizing tablet. The aiming task required four different conditions of execution. The control condition appeared on the computer screen in 70% of the trials, and the other three conditions, (a) distractor, (b) inhibition of response and (c) higher index of difficulty, each appeared in 10% of the trials. Results: Compared with women, men produced shorter movement and response times, as well as higher peak velocity in the control and distractor conditions. When the index of difficulty of the task increased, men produced only higher peak velocity. Women produced more corrective movements to achieve the target only in the control condition. Conclusion: Our results corroborate those of previous studies that indicate sex-specific response strategies when the sensory motor system is challenged by different task constraints.