Implicit sensorimotor adaptation comprises distinct mechanisms for action selection and execution

Abstract

The sensorimotor system is continuously adjusted to minimize error. Current theories assume that this adaptation process entails the operation of multiple learning systems, with a key division between implicit and explicit components. Recent studies have revealed several inconsistencies regarding the characteristics and constraints of the implicit system, suggesting that the current framework is incomplete. Here, we propose that these conflicting findings can be understood by recognizing that there are multiple implicit subcomponents, each with distinct computational goals. One well-studied component is implicit recalibration, a process critical for action execution which uses sensory-prediction errors to automatically refine the sensorimotor map. In the current study, we describe a second, novel component, implicit aiming, a process which contributes to action selection to achieve specific goals. Through a series of studies using human participants, we find compelling evidence that those two implicit processes show a clear separation in their temporal stabilities and contextual modulations. These distinct properties correspond to different computational frameworks attributing learning dynamics to either contextual inference or cancellation of competing neural populations, respectively. Together, these findings suggest an alternative framework for sensorimotor adaptation based on the computational goals of the system rather than phenomenology.