Action-centered inhibition: Effects of distractors on movement planning and execution

Subjects produced rapid pointing movements to targets that were sometimes accompanied by nearby distractors. Responses were slower when distractors were present. Furthermore, distractors that appeared along the path of the movement were more disruptive than those that appeared beyond the movement target. Analysis of the responses revealed that both the time to initiate the movements, and the movements themselves were affected by the distractors. Additionally, the initial ballistic portions of the movements were unaffected by the location of the distractor, but the final corrective phase of movement was affected. The results provide new insights into the nature of the representations within which people conduct plans and the control of movement.