Abstract des Autors

The relation between perceived force, the force exerted and the electromyogram (EMG) was examined in isometric contractions of the muscles (flexor carpi radialis and flexor digitorum sublimis) responsible for flexion of the third digit. Subjects were asked to produce a percentage of their maximum force, and the EMG and force produced were recorded. A curvilinear relation was found between perceived and exerted force which tended towards a horizontal asymptote at maximal forces. A similar relation was observed between perceived force and the EMG. A model was developed which assumed that the maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) and the perceived force at MVC are used as reference points by subjects in estimating perceived force. It proposed that there was a power relation between perceived force and the force of an isometric contraction. This model was found to describe the relation between perceived and exerted force and EMG well in comparison with other more complex models.