The practice effect and its difference of the pursuit rotor test with the dominant and non-dominant hands.

The purpose of this study was to examine the practice effect and what difference it makes in the pursuit rotor test for the dominant and non-dominant hands in 30 right-handed Japanese male adults aged 18 to 23 years (Age 20.8+/-1.4 yrs). The subjects performed the pursuit rotor test for 1 min in 20 trials with a 1-min interval alternately using the dominant and non-dominant hands. After continuing for 10 trials, a 5-min rest was taken. The measurement order was randomly assigned. Contact time of a steel pen and a target was measured in units of 1/10 sec. The measurements showed a constant increasing tendency at every trial until the 6th trial in both hands. Significant linear regressions were identified, but the increase-rate of the dominant hand was significantly larger. Individual differences showed a decreasing tendency at every trial in the dominant hand, but in the non-dominant hand it increased until the 4th trial then decreased. The relationships between measurements of the 1st and 10th trials in both hands and both hands in the 1st or 10th trial were not high. The performance of the pursuit rotor test improves at every trial in both hands, but the improvement rate decreases after the 7th trial. The improvement rate of the dominant hand is high. The change in individual differences differs in both hands and the relationship between the measurements is not high. It can be judged that the practice effect of the pursuit rotor test differs in the dominant and non-dominant hands.