The pattern of somatic response during a repetitive motor task and its modification by visual stimuli.

Abstract

The simultaneous recordings of nine response variables in human subjects engaged in variations of a tapping task were subjected to statistical analysis. Common response patterns were identified and described. ". . . there is consistency about the way individuals behave in a single response measure from one situation to another." While the response to a combination of stimuli approximates the sum of the responses to each given separately for autonomic variables, such is only doubtfully true for respiratory variables and is definitely not the case for muscle responses.