Does overestimation of an object's mass during arm-raising modify postural adjustments?

By using a dummy weight during an arm-raising movement, we sought to determine whether (i) postural adjustments are modified and (ii) the required focal movement can be performed adequately. Standing on a force platform, 30 healthy young adults performed voluntary, arm-raising movements with cube-shaped boxes: a small 1 kg box, a large 4 kg box and a large 1 kg box (i.e. the dummy weight, which looked as if it weighed 4 kg). Postural adjustments were quantified in terms of the latency, intensity and duration of the positive phase of the vertical torque (Tz) and displacements of the center of pressure. Lifting the dummy and lifting the small 1 kg box were associated with similar arm velocity curves. The characteristics of the positive Tz phase for the dummy box were intermediate between those observed for the small 1 kg box and the large 4 kg box. There were no differences between the three box-lifting conditions in terms of the latency and duration of Tz. We conclude that overestimation of the dummy's mass was rapidly corrected by a feedback mechanism. Postural control was modified online as soon as the dummy's true weight was perceived, which therefore enabled the maintenance of balance and adequate execution of the voluntary (focal) movement.