Research - Behavioral

Look around you. Chances are, there are a number of objects within arm's reach. How difficult would it be to reach over and pick one up? Though it seems like a simple task, our motor system accomplishes a number of feats that allow us to interact with our environment in such an efficient manner. Before your hand even makes contact with an object of manipulation, you have estimated the object's weight, the surface and texture, and figured out where you think the object's center of mass is located. This information is then used by the motor system to predict what forces in your fingers, hand, and arm are needed to quickly and efficiently lift that object. That's a lot of stuff going on!

Part of the research in the Baugh Lab uses advanced behavioral analysis to figure out how we learn to interact with our environment. Although there has been a lot of progress made, there are still plenty of questions left unanswered.

Behavioral Research in the Baugh Lab is examining questions related to:

  1. Credit Assignment
  2. Visuomotor Adaptation
  3. Learning of Novel Object Dynamics
  4. Tool Use

This research has implications not only on our general understanding of the human motor system, but will also assist in the development of more effective rehabilitation regimens and robotic control systems.