Final answer:
Rate control is the ability to constantly adjust motor movements to follow a moving target, relying on equilibrium sense, executive functions, and proprioceptive sensation to achieve smooth and accurate motion.
Step-by-step explanation:
The ability to make continuous anticipatory motor adjustments in speed and direction to follow a continuously moving target is referred to as rate control. This skill involves the integration of sensory feedback with motor commands to maintain a smooth and accurate tracking of the target. It relies heavily on the equilibrium sense of balance which includes sensations of position and movement of the head, and it also involves the executive functions which are cognitive processes of the prefrontal cortex that lead to directing goal-directed behavior. This is all a part of proprioceptive sensation, where associating sensory stimuli with learned behavior and coordinating complex movements play a critical role. Rate control can be seen in activities such as driving with cruise control where the car's speed is continuously adjusted to match the desired setpoint, much like how our bodies adjust movements to track moving objects.