Which best describes anticipatory postural control?

• A. Planned changes to the Center of Mass and Base of Support
• B. Reactive adjustments after perturbations
• C. Purely nonconscious adjustments to posture
• D. Only sensory feedback after movement begins

Answer: (A)

Anticipatory postural control is about pre-planning how your body sits and positions itself before you make a movement, so balance is preserved. It involves planned adjustments to both the center of mass and the base of support ahead of time, counteracting the expected destabilizing effect of the upcoming action. For example, when you reach to lift something, your trunk, hips, and even feet may shift slightly in advance to keep you upright. This is a feedforward process based on prediction and prior experience, not something that only happens after you’re perturbed. In contrast, reactive adjustments happen after a disturbance, and they rely on sensory feedback. So the best description is the one that highlights planned changes to the center of mass and base of support before movement.