Study shows our brains are meant to handle variable tasks, not repetitive ones. The study of Stanford University is published in Neuron.
Scientists have long believed that the fault for such things as missed shots and errant fastballs lay in the muscles, says Shenoy, an assistant professor in the school’s department of electrical engineering and neurosciences program. “The fundamental tenet of the field is … that you can’t activate your muscles the same way every time,” he says. “Another fundamental assumption is that your brain can plan that same movement each and every time.”
Shenoy’s groundbreaking study, however, places at least half the blame on the brain, arguing that its obsessive planning function provides a fertile source for errors.