Selective reaching: evidence for multiple frames of reference

Students participated in 3 experiments investigating the use of environment- and action-centered reference frames in selective reaching. They pointed to a green target appearing either with or without a red distractor. Target-distractor distance was manipulated, and distractor interference (difference between distractor trials and no-distractor trials) was measured in reaction time, movement time, and movement endpoint. Target-distractor distance determined the dominant frame of reference. Small distances evoked an environment-centered framework that encoded targets within an external context. Large distances evoked an action-centered framework that encoded targets relative to the start position of the hand. Results support the hypothesis that the brain represents spatial information in multiple frames of reference, with the dominant frame of reference being dependent on the task demands.