Engaging in target choice enhances explicit visuomotor adaptation.

Exercising choice has been shown to enhance one’s motivation, sense of autonomy, and even ability to learn new motor skills. This study looked to determine the impact of engaging in task-relevant choices on visuomotor adaptation. Participants trained to reach with cursor feedback that was rotated 40° clockwise relative to their hand motion (rotated cursor). A choice group (n = 56) selected their reach target prior to moving, while a yoked group (n = 54) reached to targets in the same order as participants in the choice group. After reaching with rotated cursor feedback, explicit (conscious strategy) and implicit (unconscious) adaptation were assessed using the process dissociation procedure (PDP). The choice group reported a greater sense of autonomy compared to the yoked group. Both groups adapted their reaches to a similar extent during rotated training trials and repeatedly choosing targets in the same sequence did not impact the extent of visuomotor adaptation achieved. Notably, the choice group took significantly longer to initiate their reaches across rotated training trials compared to the yoked group. In addition, the choice group demonstrated greater explicit adaptation compared to the yoked group after the rotated training trials, while implicit adaptation was comparable between groups. These findings indicate that while task-relevant choices do not benefit visuomotor adaptation, they selectively enhance explicit contributions, likely by encouraging increased cognitive processes during training.