Fixed-point drift and hysteresis in frequency-scaled unimanual coordination

ABSTRACT Research on human rhythmic coordination has shown that the in-phase and antiphase coordination modes are typically stable and that the coordination of asymmetric effectors frequently exhibits fixed-point drift. The author extended research on symmetry breaking in coordination dynamics by examining a frequency-scaled unimanual pronation-supination task. The results showed symmetry breaking and fixed-point drift, with the radioulnar joint increasingly more phase advanced than the shoulder with increments in movement frequency. Hysteresis was also observed, as the relative phase patterns produced at 3 of the 4 movement frequencies were lower in the upward frequency scaling direction than in the downward direction. These results showed that the dynamic properties of symmetry breaking and fixed-point drift in unimanual pronation-supination movements were consistent with prior research and modeling. The hysteresis effect was explained as potentially being due to the control structures that organize this redundant coordination task.