In my opinion the lab does show that humans perform simple tasks (and sometimes even complex ones) like machines. Humans are obviously natural organisms and so their actions will not be precise as those of a machine, but what makes humans machine-like is the way they can be programmed to react, respond, and perform. After just a few trials I improved at catching the ruler, my mind was set to the specific algorithm of catch the ruler when it drops; changing my minds concentration from action to reaction was simply changing the priority of those tasks in my mind.
Being human, I had other things floating around in my head too, but I did not need to go through any emotional or existential questions in order to catch the ruler. If I were 100% focused (and a lot less tired) I could most likely block everything out in my head but the specific action at hand. Im sure if I continued to practice I would become so good at the action that it would be permanently wired into my brain; just as high-level athletes say they perform best when they enter a zone in which they act without thinking. We cannot underestimate the power of muscle memory and the connections made between neurons in our brain. We may, as humans, not be able to perform as accurately as a machine, but this does not mean we cant think like one or act like one. In fact, what I think makes us unable to be as precise as a machine is simply our flexibility in motion and ability to adapt new circumstances, something much more valuable.
