Skill Level and Efficacy of Effector Visual Feedback in Ball Catching

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Abstract
The importance of visual feedback of the catching arm in a one-handed catching task and the interaction of that feedback with skill level was investigated. 10 male and 10 female subjects were separated into skilled or unskilled groups based on previous experience. Seated subjects attempted to catch 20 balls projected from a ball-projection machine aimed near the right shoulder. During half of these trials, the subject's vision of the catching arm was prevented by a screen which still permitted viewing of the critical portion of the ball's trajectory. All trials were recorded on video to identify the catching errors as errors of position or grasping. Skilled subjects made fewer errors than unskilled subjects. Occluding vision of the catching arm resulted in more errors, specifically more position errors. This finding was true for both skilled and unskilled subjects, indicating that both groups process information, visual and proprioceptive, in a qualitatively similar fashion in this task.