https://studiegids.vu.nl/en/courses/2025-2026/B_CRANSLThe student is able to:describe the basic functioning of the muscular and sensory systems relevant to motor control;describe the possibilities and limitations of the state-of-the-art experimental methods and analytical approaches (including psychophysics);interpret experimental results in the areas of perception and neuromechanicsdistinguish in scientific literature between the experimental results and the authors’ interpretation.In this course, students are trained to critically evaluate scientific articles by using examples from two domains: perception and neuromechanics. The domain perception is addressed by the question: how can we study how sensory information is processed to guide one's action? For instance: how do you investigate where one perceives a part of one's body to be? Perception will be approached quantitatively, for instance by using the psychophysical method, and will focus on the steps needed to translate experimental results into the understanding of human information processing. This will be done for four modalities: vision (motion and 3D perception), proprioception, haptics, and vestibular, as well as for perceiving another person's intentions. Within the domain neuromechanics, interactions and transformations between neural structures and the musculoskeletal system that give rise to coordinated movements are studied. The students are introduced to the principles of neuromechanics, current knowledge about its main components and the methods applied to study it. Questions addressed are for example, what is the relative contribution of musculoskeletal and neural mechanisms in the regulation of limb stiffness, how do such contributions change with environmental conditions, motor learning, disease or ageing.Each topic is introduced by a lecture discussing some phenomenology and the underlying mechanisms. The students also read one or more papers containing experimental results on that topic, which are critically discussed with classmates and the teachers using the Journal Club format.The course consists of a series of (interactive) lectures and practicals, which are all mandatory.Graded assignments: 50% Journal Club Essay: 50%The reading material consists of scientific papers, which will all be specified in the course manual.To successfully participate in and pass this course, we expect that the students have basic, BSc degree level knowledge and understanding of musculoskeletal anatomy, biomechanics and (neuro)physiology. It is the responsibility of the students to fill gaps in knowledge, using for example: Human Anatomy. E.N. Marieb, P. Brady Wilhelm & J.B. Mallatt (Eds.), Pearson Higher Education, 8th edition (2016), Chapters 1, 4, 9, 10 & 11. Kinetics of Human Motion. V. M. Zatsiorsky (Ed.), Human Kinetics, 1st edition (2002), Chapters 1-5. Biomechanics of Skeletal Muscles. V. M. Zatsiorsky, B.I. Prilutsky (Eds.), Human Kinetics, 1st edition (2012), Chapters 1-3. Physiology of Sport and Exercise, J.H. Willmore & D.L. Costill (Eds.), Human Kinetics, 6th edition (2015). Chapters 1-3. Neuroscience. D. Purves et al. (Eds.), Sinaur Associates INC. 5th edition (2012), Chapters 9, 11, 12, 14, 16.