Temporal information for spatially constrained locomotion

Abstract

How is locomotion adapted to spatial environmental constraints? The control of this everyday behavior is claimed to be based on information that specifies either spatial or temporal properties of the actor-environment system. Although studies on open-loop locomotor pointing (i.e., the positioning of a foot on a target on the floor while walking) agree on the use of spatial information, studies on closed-loop locomotor pointing propose the use of temporal information. Here, we test the hypothesis of closed-loop locomotor pointing based on temporal information, by dissociating spatial and temporal information in a virtual reality setup (virtual environment connected to a treadmill). The results support this hypothesis and shed some light on the type of temporal information that is used. The performed dissociation between spatial and temporal information, however, does not rule out a control based on a continuous updating of spatial information. Therefore, our conclusion on the use of temporal information was moderated.