Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-5b777bbd6c-w9n4q Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-06-19T22:18:49.162Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

14 - Points for precision grip

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 December 2009

By
Alan M. Wing  and
Susan J. Lederman
Edited by
Dennis A. Nowak  and
Joachim Hermsdörfer
Dennis A. Nowak
Affiliation:
Klinik Kipfenberg, Kipfenberg, Germany
Joachim Hermsdörfer
Affiliation:
Technical University of Munich
Get access

Summary

Summary

We describe constraints on grip points in reaching and lifting objects. Most objects afford a choice of points providing stable grip with thumb and index finger. We overview experiments showing how micro (surface texture determining friction) and macro (local shape for determining direction of the surface normal relative to interdigit force, and global shape for determining center of mass) geometric features affect precision grip. We summarize the roles of visual and haptic cues in selection of grip points and describe how planning takes account not only of the object but also the intended action in directing grasp to these points. We support our arguments with evidence taken from studies of normal and disordered motor behavior.

Introduction

In characterizing the sensorimotor control of grasping, other chapters in this book have emphasized coordination between the hand, which shapes to and grasps the object, and the arm, which moves the hand to the object and lifts both hand and object through space (Jones & Lederman, 2006; see also Chapters 1, 11–13). Generally, the object concerned has been provided with vertical and parallel sides, the grasp has been a precision grip, and the goal of the action has been to maintain a stable grip so that the object neither translates nor rotates relative to the hand.

Type
Chapter
Information
Sensorimotor Control of Grasping
Physiology and Pathophysiology
 , pp. 193 - 203
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Book purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Bhavikatti, S. S. & Rajashekharappa, K. G. (1994). Engineering Mechanics. Chichester, UK: John Wiley.Google Scholar
Eastough, D. & Edwards, M. G. (2007). Movement kinematics in prehension are affected by grasping objects of different mass. Exp Brain Res, 176, 193–198.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Flanagan, J. R. & Wing, A. M. (1995). The stability of precision grip forces during cyclic arm movements with a hand-held load. Exp Brain Res, 105, 455–464.Google ScholarPubMed
Flanagan, J. R., Wing, A. M., Allison, S. & Spenceley, A. (1995). Effects of surface texture on weight perception when lifting objects with a precision grip. Percept Psychophys, 57, 282–290.Google ScholarPubMed
Goodale, M. A., Meenan, J. P., Bulthoff, H. H.et al. (1994). Separate neural pathways for the visual analysis of object shape in perception and prehension. Curr Biol, 1, 604–610.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goodale, M., Jakobson, L. & Servos, P. (1996). The visual pathways mediating perception and prehension. In Wing, A. M., Haggard, P. & Flanagan, J. R. (Eds.), Hand and Brain: The Neurophysiology and Psychology of Hand Movements (pp. 15–32). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Salimi, A., Hollander, I., Frazier, W. & Gordon, A. M. (2000). Specificity of internal representations underlying grasping. J Neurophysiol, 84, 2390–2397.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hermsdörfer, J., Laimgruber, K., Kerkhoff, G., Mai, N. & Goldenberg, G. (1999). Effects of unilateral brain damage on grip selection, coordination, and kinematics of ipsilesional prehension. Exp Brain Res, 128, 41–51.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hoff, B. & Arbib, M. A. (1993). Models of trajectory formation and temporal interaction of reach and grasp. J Motor Behav, 25, 175–192.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jeannerod, M. (1981). Intersegmental coordination during reaching at natural visual objects. In Long, J. & Baddeley, A. (Eds.), Attention and Performance IX (pp. 153–169). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Jenmalm, P. & Johansson, R. S. (1997). Visual and somatosensory information about object shape and control of manipulative finger tip forces. J Neurosci, 17, 4486–4499.Google Scholar
Johansson, R. S. & Westling, G. (1984). Roles of glabrous skin receptors and sensorimotor memory in automatic control of precision grip when lifting rougher or more slippery objects. Exp Brain Res, 56, 550–564.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jones, L. A. & Lederman, S. J. (2006). Human Hand Function. New York: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lederman, S. J. & Klatzky, R. L. (1987). Hand movements: a window into haptic object recognition. Cogn Psychol, 19, 342–368.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lederman, S. J. & Wing, A. M. (2003). Grasp point selection, perceptual judgment and object symmetry. Exp Brain Res, 152, 156–165.Google ScholarPubMed
Loomis, J. M. & Lederman, S. J. (1986). Tactual perception. In Boff, K., Kaufman, L. & Thomas, J. (Eds.), Handbook of Perception and Human Performance (pp. 31–1 – 31–41). New York, NY: John Wiley.Google Scholar
Marotta, J. J., McKeeff, T. J. & Behrmann, M. (2003). Hemispatial neglect: its effects on visual perception and visually guided grasping. Neuropsychologia, 41, 1262–1271.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rosenbaum, D. A., Marchak, F., Barnes, H. J.et al. (1990). Constraints for action selection: overhand versus underhand grip. In Jeannerod, M. (Ed.), Attention and Performance XIII (pp. 321–342). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Smeets, J. B. J. & Brenner, E. (1999). A new view on grasping. Motor Control, 3, 237–271.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Westling, G. & Johansson, R. S. (1984). Factors influencing the force control during precision grip. Exp Brain Res, 53, 277–284.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wing, A. M. & Lederman, S. J. (1998). Anticipating load torques produced by voluntary movements. J Exp Psychol: Hum Percept Perform, 24, 1571–1581.Google ScholarPubMed

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×