Semantic priming of motor task performance in young adults: implications for occupational therapy.

Objective: To investigate whether the performance of a multisegment motor task is influenced by reading a segment-specific action word.

Method: Twenty-four participants performed tasks that involved reaching for a bottle, grasping it, lifting and placing it on a shelf, and returning their hand to the starting position. At the initiation of each task, participants read either aloud or silently five randomly provided, task-related words (reach, grasp, lift, place, and return).