Beyond Expertise: Stable Individual Differences in Predictive Eye-Hand Coordination

TL;DR

This study reveals that individual differences in predictive eye-hand coordination are stable traits, not solely shaped by expertise, as shown by consistent predictive windows across trials and groups.

Contribution

It demonstrates that stable, person-specific predictive timing in eye-hand coordination exists independently of expertise or training.

Findings

Predictive windows ranged from -50 to 400 ms across individuals.

Predictive timing was consistent within individuals across trials.

Predictive parameters did not differ between experts and non-experts.

Abstract

Human eye-hand coordination relies on internal forward models that predict future states and compensate for sensory delays. During line tracing, the gaze typically leads the hand through predictive saccades, yet the extent to which this predictive window reflects expertise or intrinsic individual traits remains unclear. In this study, I examined eye-hand coordination in professional calligraphers and non-experts performing a controlled line tracing task. The temporal coupling between saccade distance (SD) and pen speed (PS) revealed substantial interpersonal variability: SD-PS peak times ranged from approximately -50 to 400 ms, forming stable, participant-specific predictive windows that were consistent across trials. These predictive windows closely matched each individual's pen catch-up time, indicating that the oculomotor system stabilizes fixation in anticipation of the hand's future velocity rather than relying on reactive pursuit. Neither the spatial indices (mean gaze-pen distance, mean saccade distance) nor the temporal index (SD-PS peak time) differed between calligraphers and non-calligraphers, and none of these predictive parameters correlated with tracing accuracy. These findings suggest that diverse predictive strategies can achieve equivalent performance, consistent with the minimum intervention principle of optimal feedback control. Together, the results indicate that predictive timing in eye-hand coordination reflects a stable, idiosyncratic Predictive Protocol shaped by individual neuromotor constraints rather than by expertise or training history.