Abstract
Objectives: Developing a deeper understanding of performance under pressure can be attained by investigating offline and online motor control processes. This study examined the effects of pressured environments on offline and online control and considered how reinvestment propensity may lead to the adoption of different motor control strategies within such environments. Methods: Participants (n=60), completed the movement specific reinvestment scale before performing a target-directed aiming task. Following familiarisation, participants completed both acquisition (low pressure) and transfer (either heightened pressure or low pressure) phases. In all phases, 20% of trials contained a cursor perturbation that necessitated corrections via online control processes to maintain outcome performance. Data from heightened pressure and low pressure conditions were compared. In non-perturbed trials, variability profiles were used to infer offline and online control. In perturbation trials, correction magnitudes were used to test online motor control. Results and Discussion: Analysis of non-perturbed trials revealed that online motor control was reduced under pressure. However, individuals used compensatory resources to shift from an online, to an offline-dependent motor control strategy in order to maintain outcome performance. Furthermore, greater reinvestment propensity correlated with greater strategy shifts. In the perturbed trials, necessitated online motor control was neither impaired by the presence of pressure nor correlated with reinvestment propensity. Conclusion: Non-necessitated online control may be impaired under pressure, but can be compensated for via deliberate changes in the distribution of motor control strategies. Furthermore, this strategy shift is positively correlated with reinvestment propensity.
