{"id":{"repo_id":"uwo","oai_identifier":"oai:uwo.scholaris.ca:20.500.14721/38788"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uwo/oai:uwo.scholaris.ca:20.500.14721/38788","repository":{"repo_id":"uwo","name":"Western University","base_url":"https://uwo.scholaris.ca/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"String-Pulling by the Common Marmoset","abstract":"From peeling fruit to climbing trees, primates, including humans, routinely perform complex motor tasks with their hands. This thesis develops a string-pulling task to investigate skilled motor control in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus). In the first study, we analyzed 15 marmosets of varying ages in their home cages using single-camera markerless motion tracking. In the second study, we analyzed 6 chair-restrained adults using multi-camera 3D tracking. Across both settings, marmosets spontaneously engaged in cyclical string-pulling with distinct reach and withdrawal phases. Movements featured upward gazes during reaches, in-phase horizontal and anti-phase vertical hand trajectories, and greater consistency and speed with their right hand. We also found that withdrawals were faster than reaches and that peak speed scaled with hand distance from the string. Age-related changes in coordination and lateralization were evident but modest. Overall, we show that the string-pulling task offers a robust, ecologically valid framework for studying primate motor control and the neural mechanisms supporting complex, bimanual behaviors.","abstract_html":"From peeling fruit to climbing trees, primates, including humans, routinely perform complex motor tasks with their hands. This thesis develops a string-pulling task to investigate skilled motor control in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus). In the first study, we analyzed 15 marmosets of varying ages in their home cages using single-camera markerless motion tracking. In the second study, we analyzed 6 chair-restrained adults using multi-camera 3D tracking. Across both settings, marmosets spontaneously engaged in cyclical string-pulling with distinct reach and withdrawal phases. Movements featured upward gazes during reaches, in-phase horizontal and anti-phase vertical hand trajectories, and greater consistency and speed with their right hand. We also found that withdrawals were faster than reaches and that peak speed scaled with hand distance from the string. Age-related changes in coordination and lateralization were evident but modest. Overall, we show that the string-pulling task offers a robust, ecologically valid framework for studying primate motor control and the neural mechanisms supporting complex, bimanual behaviors.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Karkuszewski, Michael"],"institution":"The University of Western Ontario","degree_name":"M Sc","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":"Neuroscience","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Pruszynski, Andrew"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-08-11","date_published":"2025-08-11","updated_at":"2026-07-27T21:56:03Z","subjects":["Bimanual Coordination","Kinematics","Motor Control","String-Pulling","Reach-to-Grasp Behaviour."],"languages":["en"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/38788","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Pruszynski, Andrew"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Karkuszewski, Michael"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2025-09-03T19:43:33Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2025-09-03T19:43:33Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2025-08-11"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["The University of Western Ontario"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Neuroscience"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M Sc"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["The University of Western Ontario"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Bimanual Coordination","Kinematics","Motor Control","String-Pulling","Reach-to-Grasp Behaviour."]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/38788"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["From peeling fruit to climbing trees, primates, including humans, routinely perform complex motor tasks with their hands. This thesis develops a string-pulling task to investigate skilled motor control in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus). In the first study, we analyzed 15 marmosets of varying ages in their home cages using single-camera markerless motion tracking. In the second study, we analyzed 6 chair-restrained adults using multi-camera 3D tracking. Across both settings, marmosets spontaneously engaged in cyclical string-pulling with distinct reach and withdrawal phases. Movements featured upward gazes during reaches, in-phase horizontal and anti-phase vertical hand trajectories, and greater consistency and speed with their right hand. We also found that withdrawals were faster than reaches and that peak speed scaled with hand distance from the string. Age-related changes in coordination and lateralization were evident but modest. Overall, we show that the string-pulling task offers a robust, ecologically valid framework for studying primate motor control and the neural mechanisms supporting complex, bimanual behaviors."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["String-Pulling by the Common Marmoset"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Pruszynski, Andrew"],"dc:creator":["Karkuszewski, Michael"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2025-09-03T19:43:33Z"],"dc:date.available":["2025-09-03T19:43:33Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2025-08-11"],"dc:description.abstract":["From peeling fruit to climbing trees, primates, including humans, routinely perform complex motor tasks with their hands. This thesis develops a string-pulling task to investigate skilled motor control in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus). In the first study, we analyzed 15 marmosets of varying ages in their home cages using single-camera markerless motion tracking. In the second study, we analyzed 6 chair-restrained adults using multi-camera 3D tracking. Across both settings, marmosets spontaneously engaged in cyclical string-pulling with distinct reach and withdrawal phases. Movements featured upward gazes during reaches, in-phase horizontal and anti-phase vertical hand trajectories, and greater consistency and speed with their right hand. We also found that withdrawals were faster than reaches and that peak speed scaled with hand distance from the string. Age-related changes in coordination and lateralization were evident but modest. Overall, we show that the string-pulling task offers a robust, ecologically valid framework for studying primate motor control and the neural mechanisms supporting complex, bimanual behaviors."],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/38788"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:publisher":["The University of Western Ontario"],"dc:subject":["Bimanual Coordination","Kinematics","Motor Control","String-Pulling","Reach-to-Grasp Behaviour."],"dc:title":["String-Pulling by the Common Marmoset"],"dc:type":["thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Neuroscience"],"thesis:degree_name":["M Sc"],"thesis:institution_name":["The University of Western Ontario"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T21:56:03Z"}