Multimodal control of reaching:
The role of tactile feedback
2001, IEEE Transactions on
Evolutionary Computation, 5, 122-128
Matthew Schlesinger
Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
Domenico Parisi
Italian National Research Council
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Abstract: By the onset
of reaching, young infants are already able to keep track
of the position of their hand by using visual feedback
from the target and proprioceptive feedback from the arm.
How is this multimodal coordination achieved? We propose
that infants learn to coordinate vision and proprioception
by using tactile feedback from the target. In order to
evaluate this hypothesis, we employ an evolutionary-based
learning algorithm as a proxy for trial-and-error sensorimotor
development in young infants. A series of simulation studies
illustrate how touch: 1) helps coordinate vision and proprioception;
2) facilitates an efficient reaching strategy; and 3)
promotes intermodal recalibration when the coordination
is perturbed. We present two developmental predictions
generated by the model and discuss the relative importance
of visual and tactile feedback while learning to reach.
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