An investigation of the interaction between concurrent motor output and complex decision-making

Abstract

Successful human performance relies on effective decision-making and efficient motor output, but the need to make a complex decision and an effective movement concurrently can disrupt performance. Take, for example, a police officer drawing and aiming his pistol while simultaneously making a complex decision regarding whether to fire. This study examined whether decision making is more effective when the accompanying motor behaviour has been learned implicitly as opposed to explicitly, so bypassing the need to use working memory, which is a vital mechanism in decision making processes. Preliminary data indicate that performance is superior when the motor act is learned implicitly.