Target Selection and Action Control in Interception Tasks

Action possibilities may emerge or disappear over time due to interactions among multiple moving objects. Which action possibility and how it is actualized reflect the interplay among environmental constraints and individual capabilities and preferences. The present study aimed to identify individual and task-specific factors that predict target selection in an interception task and characterize the solutions executed by individuals to realize the chosen action possibility. We created a video game simulating team sports such as American Football, in which the participant controlled the thrower attempting to intercept one of the two moving targets. Near each target, there was a defender that could intercept the pass. In addition, a third defender moved from the endzone toward the thrower. We manipulated target speed and defender distance to alter both temporal and spatial constraints. Our results indicated that target selection was influenced mainly by the difference between the defenders’ relative gains. Throughout practice, participants also adapted all three execution variables that define the throwing outcome, with a relevant effect of target speed in scaling the values of each execution variable. This study demonstrated that during a virtual interception task with coexisting action possibilities, individuals select which target to intercept based on a high-order, relational variable and calibrate their movement according to the selected target speed.