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Turrini S, Fiori F, Bevacqua N, Saracini C, Lucero B, Candidi M, Avenanti A. Spike-timing-dependent plasticity induction reveals dissociable supplementary- and premotor-motor pathways to automatic imitation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2404925121. [PMID: 38917006 PMCID: PMC11228524 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2404925121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Humans tend to spontaneously imitate others' behavior, even when detrimental to the task at hand. The action observation network (AON) is consistently recruited during imitative tasks. However, whether automatic imitation is mediated by cortico-cortical projections from AON regions to the primary motor cortex (M1) remains speculative. Similarly, the potentially dissociable role of AON-to-M1 pathways involving the ventral premotor cortex (PMv) or supplementary motor area (SMA) in automatic imitation is unclear. Here, we used cortico-cortical paired associative stimulation (ccPAS) to enhance or hinder effective connectivity in PMv-to-M1 and SMA-to-M1 pathways via Hebbian spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) to test their functional relevance to automatic and voluntary motor imitation. ccPAS affected behavior under competition between task rules and prepotent visuomotor associations underpinning automatic imitation. Critically, we found dissociable effects of manipulating the strength of the two pathways. While strengthening PMv-to-M1 projections enhanced automatic imitation, weakening them hindered it. On the other hand, strengthening SMA-to-M1 projections reduced automatic imitation but also reduced interference from task-irrelevant cues during voluntary imitation. Our study demonstrates that driving Hebbian STDP in AON-to-M1 projections induces opposite effects on automatic imitation that depend on the targeted pathway. Our results provide direct causal evidence of the functional role of PMv-to-M1 projections for automatic imitation, seemingly involved in spontaneously mirroring observed actions and facilitating the tendency to imitate them. Moreover, our findings support the notion that SMA exerts an opposite gating function, controlling M1 to prevent overt motor behavior when inadequate to the context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Turrini
- Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia “Renzo Canestrari”, Campus di Cesena, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, 47521Cesena, Italy
| | - Francesca Fiori
- Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia “Renzo Canestrari”, Campus di Cesena, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, 47521Cesena, Italy
- Neurophysiology and Neuroengineering of Human-Technology Interaction Research Unit, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, 00128Roma, Italy
| | - Naomi Bevacqua
- Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia “Renzo Canestrari”, Campus di Cesena, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, 47521Cesena, Italy
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Sapienza Università di Roma, 00185Roma, Italy
| | - Chiara Saracini
- Centro de Investigación en Neuropsicología y Neurociencias Cognitivas, Universidad Católica Del Maule, 3460000Talca, Chile
| | - Boris Lucero
- Centro de Investigación en Neuropsicología y Neurociencias Cognitivas, Universidad Católica Del Maule, 3460000Talca, Chile
| | - Matteo Candidi
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Sapienza Università di Roma, 00185Roma, Italy
| | - Alessio Avenanti
- Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia “Renzo Canestrari”, Campus di Cesena, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, 47521Cesena, Italy
- Centro de Investigación en Neuropsicología y Neurociencias Cognitivas, Universidad Católica Del Maule, 3460000Talca, Chile
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2
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Cracco E, Genschow O, Brass M. Covert and overt automatic imitation are correlated. Psychon Bull Rev 2024; 31:1348-1352. [PMID: 38010454 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-023-02420-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Most theoretical accounts of imitation assume that covert and overt measures of automatic imitation tap into the same underlying construct. Despite this widespread assumption, it is not well supported by empirical evidence. In fact, the only study investigating the relation between covert and overt automatic imitation failed to find a correlation between them (Genschow et al., 2017, PLOS ONE, 12[9], Article e0183784). However, because overt and covert imitation were measured using two very different tasks, and because the measure of overt imitation was found to be unreliable, it is still not clear whether a correlation between both measures exists. Here, we address this question by reanalyzing the results of a previous virtual reality study in which automatic imitation was indexed with an overt and covert measure of gaze following, both obtained within one and the same task (Cracco et al., 2022, IScience, Article 104891). The results show that, in this situation, both types of imitation do correlate. As such, our results provide support for the idea that overt and covert measures of automatic imitation measure the same underlying construct.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emiel Cracco
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, 9000, Belgium.
| | - Oliver Genschow
- Institute for Management and Organization, Leuphana University, Lüneburg, Germany
| | - Marcel Brass
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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3
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Wermelinger S, Moersdorf L, Daum MM. Automatic imitation in school-aged children. J Exp Child Psychol 2024; 238:105797. [PMID: 37922702 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2023.105797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Children imitate others for different reasons: To learn from others and to reach social goals such as affiliation or prosociality. So far, imitative acts have been measured using diverging methods in children and adults. Here, we investigated whether school-aged children's imitation can be measured via their automatic imitation with a classical imitation-inhibition task (Brass et al., 2000) as has been used in adults. To this end, we measured automatic imitation in N=94 7-8-year-olds and N=10 adults. The results were similar in children and adults: Observing actions that are incongruent with participants' actions interferes with their responses resulting in increased reaction times and error rates. This shows that assessing automatic imitation via the imitation-inhibition task is feasible in children, and creates the basis for future studies to compare the behaviour of different age groups with the same imitation task.
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4
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Zhang J, Wang Y, Leong C, Mao Y, Yuan Z. Bridging Stories and Science: An fNIRS-based hyperscanning investigation into child learning in STEM. Neuroimage 2024; 285:120486. [PMID: 38070436 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 10/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Early STEM education is crucial for later learning. This novel study utilised fNIRS to examine how STEM teaching methods (i.e., traditional, storytelling, storyboarding) affect neural activity synchronisation between teachers and students. Our results showed that left and right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) for storytelling teaching versus traditional teaching, superior temporal gyrus for storyboard teaching versus traditional teaching, and left angular gyrus for storyboard and storytelling teaching were significant different in brain synchronisation. In the storytelling teaching condition, left supramarginal gyrus brain synchrony was found to improve STEM learning outcomes. In the storyboard teaching condition, IFG brain synchrony correlated positively with STEM learning improvement. The findings confirmed that story-based teaching and storyboarding can improve STEM learning efficacy at the neural level and unscored the significant role of neural synchronization as a predictor of learning outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Zhang
- Faculty of Education, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China; Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China.
| | - Yihui Wang
- Faculty of Education, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China; Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China.
| | - Chantat Leong
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China; Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China
| | - Yidi Mao
- Faculty of Education, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China; Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China
| | - Zhen Yuan
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China; Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China.
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5
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Charbonneau M, Curioni A, McEllin L, Strachan JWA. Flexible Cultural Learning Through Action Coordination. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2024; 19:201-222. [PMID: 37458767 DOI: 10.1177/17456916231182923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
The cultural transmission of technical know-how has proven vital to the success of our species. The broad diversity of learning contexts and social configurations, as well as the various kinds of coordinated interactions they involve, speaks to our capacity to flexibly adapt to and succeed in transmitting vital knowledge in various learning contexts. Although often recognized by ethnographers, the flexibility of cultural learning has so far received little attention in terms of cognitive mechanisms. We argue that a key feature of the flexibility of cultural learning is that both the models and learners recruit cognitive mechanisms of action coordination to modulate their behavior contingently on the behavior of their partner, generating a process of mutual adaptation supporting the successful transmission of technical skills in diverse and fluctuating learning environments. We propose that the study of cultural learning would benefit from the experimental methods, results, and insights of joint-action research and, complementarily, that the field of joint-action research could expand its scope by integrating a learning and cultural dimension. Bringing these two fields of research together promises to enrich our understanding of cultural learning, its contextual flexibility, and joint action coordination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Charbonneau
- Africa Institute for Research in Economics and Social Sciences, Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique
| | | | - Luke McEllin
- Department of Cognitive Science, Central European University
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6
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Tokimoto S, Tokimoto N. Time course of effective connectivity associated with perspective taking in utterance comprehension. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1179230. [PMID: 38021233 PMCID: PMC10658713 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1179230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
This study discusses the effective connectivity in the brain and its time course in realizing perspective taking in verbal communication through electroencephalogram (EEG) associated with the understanding of Japanese utterances. We manipulated perspective taking in a sentence with the Japanese subsidiary verbs -ageru and -kureru, which mean "to give". We measured the EEG during the auditory presentation of the sentences with a multichannel electroencephalograph, and the partial directed coherence and its temporal variations were analyzed using the source localization method to examine causal interactions between nineteen regions of interest in the brain. Three different processing stages were recognized on the basis of the connectivity hubs, direction of information flow, increase or decrease in flow, and temporal variation. We suggest that perspective taking in speech comprehension is realized by interactions between the mentalizing network, mirror neuron network, and executive control network. Furthermore, we found that individual differences in the sociality of typically developing adult speakers were systematically related to effective connectivity. In particular, attention switching was deeply concerned with perspective taking in real time, and the precuneus played a crucial role in implementing individual differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shingo Tokimoto
- Department of English Language Studies, Mejiro University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Naoko Tokimoto
- Department of Performing Arts, Shobi University, Saitama, Japan
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7
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Cracco E, Liepelt R, Brass M, Genschow O. Top-Down Modulation of Motor Priming by Belief About Animacy. Exp Psychol 2023; 70:355-365. [PMID: 38602116 DOI: 10.1027/1618-3169/a000605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Research has shown that people automatically imitate others and that this tendency is stronger when the other person is a human compared with a nonhuman agent. However, a controversial question is whether automatic imitation is also modulated by whether people believe the other person is a human. Although early research supported this hypothesis, not all studies reached the same conclusion and a recent meta-analysis found that there is currently neither evidence in favor nor against an influence of animacy beliefs on automatic imitation. One of the most prominent studies supporting such an influence is the study by Liepelt and Brass (2010), who found that automatic imitation was stronger when participants believed an ambiguous, gloved hand to be human, as opposed to wooden. In this registered report, we provide a high-powered replication of this study (N = 199). In contrast to Liepelt and Brass (2010), we did not find an effect of animacy beliefs on automatic imitation. However, we did find a correlation between automatic imitation and perceived self-other similarity. Together, these results suggest that the gloved hand procedure does not reliably influence automatic imitation, but interindividual differences in perceived similarity do.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emiel Cracco
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Belgium
| | - Roman Liepelt
- Department of General Psychology: Judgment, Decision Making, Action, Faculty of Psychology, FernUniversität in Hagen, Germany
| | - Marcel Brass
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany
| | - Oliver Genschow
- Department of Cognitive, Social- and Economic Psychology, Institute for Management and Organization, Leuphana University, Lüneburg, Germany
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8
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Ito H. The effect of automatic imitation in serial movements with different effectors. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1224673. [PMID: 37920735 PMCID: PMC10619738 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1224673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Individuals often imitate the postures or gestures of others in everyday life, without even being aware. This behavioral tendency is known as "automatic imitation" in laboratory settings and is thought to play a crucial role in social interactions. Previous studies have shown that the perception of a simple finger movement activates a shared representation of the observed and executed movements, which then elicits automatic imitation. However, relatively few studies have examined whether automatic imitation is limited to simple single-finger movements or whether it can be produced using a different automatic imitation paradigm with more complex sequential movements. Therefore, this study conducted three experiments in which participants observed the sequential movements of a model and then executed a compatible (similar) action or an incompatible (different) action involving the hand or foot in response to number cues that indicated the sequence for moving their hands or feet. The delay to onset of participants' initial hand or foot movements was calculated. Participants consistently executed compatible actions faster than incompatible actions. In particular, the results showed an imitative compatibility effect with a human stimulus but not an inanimate stimulus. These results demonstrate that automatic imitation occurs during more complex movements that require memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroshi Ito
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Letters, Aichi University, Toyohashi, Japan
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9
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Vannuscorps G, Caramazza A. Effector-specific motor simulation supplements core action recognition processes in adverse conditions. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2023; 18:nsad046. [PMID: 37688518 PMCID: PMC10576201 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsad046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Observing other people acting activates imitative motor plans in the observer. Whether, and if so when and how, such 'effector-specific motor simulation' contributes to action recognition remains unclear. We report that individuals born without upper limbs (IDs)-who cannot covertly imitate upper-limb movements-are significantly less accurate at recognizing degraded (but not intact) upper-limb than lower-limb actions (i.e. point-light animations). This finding emphasizes the need to reframe the current controversy regarding the role of effector-specific motor simulation in action recognition: instead of focusing on the dichotomy between motor and non-motor theories, the field would benefit from new hypotheses specifying when and how effector-specific motor simulation may supplement core action recognition processes to accommodate the full variety of action stimuli that humans can recognize.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gilles Vannuscorps
- Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Place Cardinal Mercier 10, 1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université catholique de Louvain, Avenue E. Mounier 53, Brussels 1200, Belgium
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Kirkland Street 33, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Alfonso Caramazza
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Kirkland Street 33, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- CIMEC (Center for Mind-Brain Sciences), University of Trento, Via delle Regole 101, Mattarello TN 38123, Italy
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10
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Proietti R, Pezzulo G, Tessari A. An active inference model of hierarchical action understanding, learning and imitation. Phys Life Rev 2023; 46:92-118. [PMID: 37354642 DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2023.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/26/2023]
Abstract
We advance a novel active inference model of the cognitive processing that underlies the acquisition of a hierarchical action repertoire and its use for observation, understanding and imitation. We illustrate the model in four simulations of a tennis learner who observes a teacher performing tennis shots, forms hierarchical representations of the observed actions, and imitates them. Our simulations show that the agent's oculomotor activity implements an active information sampling strategy that permits inferring the kinematic aspects of the observed movement, which lie at the lowest level of the action hierarchy. In turn, this low-level kinematic inference supports higher-level inferences about deeper aspects of the observed actions: proximal goals and intentions. Finally, the inferred action representations can steer imitative responses, but interfere with the execution of different actions. Our simulations show that hierarchical active inference provides a unified account of action observation, understanding, learning and imitation and helps explain the neurobiological underpinnings of visuomotor cognition, including the multiple routes for action understanding in the dorsal and ventral streams and mirror mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Giovanni Pezzulo
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council, Rome, Italy.
| | - Alessia Tessari
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Italy; Alma Mater Research Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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11
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Wan Y, Wei Y, Xu B, Zhu L, Tanenhaus MK. Musical coordination affects children's perspective-taking, but musical synchrony does not. Dev Sci 2023; 26:e13367. [PMID: 36586401 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 12/17/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Perspective-taking, which is important for communication and social activities, can be cultivated through joint actions, including musical activities in children. We examined how rhythmic activities requiring coordination affect perspective-taking in a referential communication task with 100 Chinese 4- to 6-year-old children. In Study 1, 5- to 6-year-old children played an instrument with a virtual partner in one of three coordination conditions: synchrony, asynchrony, and antiphase synchrony. Eye movements were then monitored with the partner giving instructions to identify a shape referent which included a pre-nominal scalar adjective (e.g., big cubic block). When the target contrast (a small cubic block) was in the shared ground and a competitor contrast was occluded for the partner, participants who used perspective differences could, in principle, identify the intended referent before the shape was named. We hypothesized that asynchronous and antiphase synchronous musical activities, which require self-other distinction, might have stronger effects on perspective-taking than synchronous activity. Children in the asynchrony and antiphase synchrony conditions, but not the synchrony condition, showed anticipatory looks at the target, demonstrating real-time use of the partner's perspective. Study 2 was conducted to determine if asynchrony and antiphase asynchrony resulted in perspective-taking that otherwise would not have been observed, or if synchronous coordination inhibited perspective-taking that would otherwise have occurred. We found no evidence for online perspective-taking in 4- to 6-year-old children without music manipulation. Therefore, playing instruments asynchronously or in alternation, but not synchronously, increases perspective-taking in children of this age, likely by training self-other distinction and control. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at https://youtu.be/TM9h_GpFlsA. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: This study is the first to show that rhythmic coordination, a form of non-linguistic interaction, can affect children's performance in a subsequent linguistic task. Eye-movement data revealed that children's perspective-taking in language processing was facilitated by prior asynchronous and antiphase synchronous musical interactions, but not by synchronous coordination. The results challenge the common "similar is better" view, suggesting that maintaining self-other distinction may benefit social interactions that involve representing individual differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingjia Wan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yipu Wei
- School of Chinese as a Second Language, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Baorui Xu
- School of Chinese as a Second Language, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Liqi Zhu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Michael K Tanenhaus
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA
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12
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Aviv V. Moving through silence in dance: A neural perspective. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2023; 280:89-101. [PMID: 37714574 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2022.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/17/2023]
Abstract
The word "silence" typically refers to the auditory modality, signifying an absence of sound or noise, being quiet. One may then ask: could we attribute the notion of silence to the domain of dance, e.g., when a movement is absent and the dancer stops moving? Is it at all useful to think in terms of silence when referring to dance? In this chapter, my exploration of these questions is based on recent studies in brain research, which demonstrate the remarkable facility of specific regions in the human brain to perceive visually referred biological and, in particular, human motion, leading to prediction of future movements of the human body. I will argue that merely ceasing motion is an insufficient condition for creating a perception of silence in the mind of a spectator of dance. Rather, the experience of silence in dance is a special situation where the static position of the dancer does not imply motion, and is unlikely to evoke interpretation of the intentions or the emotional expression of the dancer. For this to happen, the position of the dancer, while being still, should be held effortlessly, aimlessly, and with a minimal expression of emotion and intention. Furthermore, I suggest that dynamics, repetitive movement (such as that of Sufi whirling dervishes), can also be perceived as silence in dance because of the high level of predictability and evenness of the movement. These moments of silence in dance, which are so rare in our daily lives, invite us to experience the human body from a new, "out of the box" perspective that is the essence of all the arts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vered Aviv
- The Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, Jerusalem, Israel.
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13
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Genschow O, Pauels E, Krugmann K, Winter A. Group membership does not modulate goal- versus movement-based imitation. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2023; 76:827-837. [PMID: 36214280 DOI: 10.1177/17470218221132842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
It is often put forward that in-group members are imitated more strongly than out-group members. However, the validity of this claim has been questioned as recent investigations were not able to find differences for the imitation of in- versus out-group members. A central characteristic of these failed replications is their mere focus on movement-based imitation, thereby neglecting to take into consideration the superior goal of the movements. By using a computerised version of the pen-and-cups task, we disentangled movement- from goal-based imitation to shed further light onto the link between group membership and imitation. As previous research demonstrated that out-group members (as compared with in-group members) are represented psychologically distant and as psychological distance shifts the degree to which participants engage in goal- versus movement-based imitation, we predicted that in-group members (as compared with out-group members) shift the degree to which individuals imitate movements versus goals. The results did not confirm our predictions, as group membership does not modulate the degree of movement- versus goal-based imitation. Theoretical implications and the question whether imitative behaviour is socially modulated are discussed.
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14
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Fonagy P, Campbell C, Luyten P. Attachment, Mentalizing and Trauma: Then (1992) and Now (2022). Brain Sci 2023; 13:brainsci13030459. [PMID: 36979268 PMCID: PMC10046260 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13030459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
This article reviews the current status of research on the relationship between attachment and trauma in developmental psychopathology. Beginning with a review of the major issues and the state-of-the-art in relation to current thinking in the field of attachment about the impact of trauma and the inter-generational transmission of trauma, the review then considers recent neurobiological work on mentalizing and trauma and suggests areas of new development and implications for clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Fonagy
- Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
- Correspondence:
| | - Chloe Campbell
- Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Patrick Luyten
- Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
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15
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Kampis D, Lukowski Duplessy H, Askitis D, Southgate V. Training self-other distinction facilitates perspective taking in young children. Child Dev 2023. [PMID: 36794342 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
People sometimes commit 'egocentric errors', failing to ignore their own perspective when interpreting others' communication. Training imitation-inhibition, when participants perform the opposite action from another person, facilitates subsequent perspective-taking in adults. This study tested whether imitation-inhibition training also facilitates perspective-taking in 3- to 6-year-olds, an age where egocentric perspective may be particularly influential. Children participated in a 10-min imitation-inhibition, imitation, or non-social-inhibition training (white, n = 25 per condition, 33 female, period: 2018-2021), then the communicative-perspective-taking Director task. Training had a significant effect (F(2, 71) = 3.316, p = .042, η2 = .085): on critical trials, the imitation-inhibition-group selected the correct object more often than the other groups. Imitation-inhibition training specifically enhanced the perspective-taking process possibly by highlighting the distinction between self and other.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dora Kampis
- Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Dimitrios Askitis
- Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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16
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Unkelbach C, Alves H, Baldwin M, Crusius J, Diel K, Galinsky AD, Gast A, Hofmann W, Imhoff R, Genschow O, Lammers J, Pauels E, Schneider I, Topolinski S, Westfal M, Mussweiler T. Relativity in Social Cognition: Basic processes and novel applications of social comparisons. EUROPEAN REVIEW OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2023. [DOI: 10.1080/10463283.2022.2161043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Hans Alves
- Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bocham, Germany
| | - Matthew Baldwin
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainsville, FL, USA
| | - Jan Crusius
- School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
| | - Kathi Diel
- Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bocham, Germany
| | | | - Anne Gast
- Social Cognition Center Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Wilhelm Hofmann
- Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bocham, Germany
| | - Roland Imhoff
- Department of Psychology, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Oliver Genschow
- Social Cognition Center Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Joris Lammers
- Social Cognition Center Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Eileen Pauels
- Social Cognition Center Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Iris Schneider
- Social Cognition Center Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Sascha Topolinski
- Social Cognition Center Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Mareike Westfal
- Social Cognition Center Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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Miss F, Adriaense J, Burkart J. Towards integrating joint action research: Developmental and evolutionary perspectives on co-representation. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 143:104924. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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18
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Williams AS, Ortega FR. The Impacts of Referent Display on Gesture and Speech Elicitation. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON VISUALIZATION AND COMPUTER GRAPHICS 2022; 28:3885-3895. [PMID: 36049005 DOI: 10.1109/tvcg.2022.3203090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Elicitation studies have become a popular method of participatory design. While traditionally used to examine unimodal gesture interactions, elicitation has started being used with other novel interaction modalities. Unfortunately, there has been no work that examines the impact of referent display on elicited interaction proposals. To address that concern this work provides a detailed comparison between two elicitation studies that were similar in design apart from the way that participants were prompted for interaction proposals (i.e., the referents). Based on this comparison the impact of referent display on speech and gesture interaction proposals are each discussed. The interaction proposals between these elicitation studies were not identical. Gesture proposals were the least impacted by referent display, showing high proposal similarity between the two works. Speech proposals were highly biased by text referents with proposals directly mirroring text-based referents an average of 69.36% of the time. In short, the way that referents are presented during elicitation studies can impact the resulting interaction proposals; however, the level of impact found is dependent on the modality of input elicited.
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19
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Aulbach MB, Harjunen VJ, Spapé M. Visible skin disease symptoms of another person reduce automatic imitation of their hand movements. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2022; 87:1466-1474. [PMID: 36149502 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-022-01731-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Imitation is an important mechanism for social interaction and learning, and humans tend to imitate others automatically. While imitating others is often useful, it can backfire when imitation is incongruent with one's goals. For example, in forced-choice reaction time tasks, this tendency results in a reliable slowing of reactions if the observed and self-initiated actions are incompatible (compatibility effect). While imitation is commonly explained as a social phenomenon, previous results on the compatibility effect's dependence on social cues are inconsistent. However, in many previous studies, the associated social cues were easy to ignore by the participants. To make the social modifier more salient, the current study manipulated emotionally relevant aspects of the model hand itself in an imitation inhibition task by using models displaying skin disease symptoms which we expected to elicit (1) perceptions of dissimilarity and (2) disgust in participants. As predicted, participants' (n = 63) reaction times were influenced more by the incompatible actions of the symptom-free than the symptomatic model hand. However, both levels of self-reported disgust toward and self-other overlap with symptomatic hands were low and did not account for the observed effect on automatic imitation. Our findings show that automatic imitation depends on social factors if these are an integral part of the model and processed quickly, presumably due to their affective salience or the salience of the self-other distinction. Whether this effect is driven by emotional reactions to the model remains an open question.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Burkard Aulbach
- Dept. Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland.
- Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paris-Lodron University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
| | | | - Michiel Spapé
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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20
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Doricchi F, Lasaponara S, Pazzaglia M, Silvetti M. Left and right temporal-parietal junctions (TPJs) as "match/mismatch" hedonic machines: A unifying account of TPJ function. Phys Life Rev 2022; 42:56-92. [PMID: 35901654 DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2022.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Experimental and theoretical studies have tried to gain insights into the involvement of the Temporal Parietal Junction (TPJ) in a broad range of cognitive functions like memory, attention, language, self-agency and theory of mind. Recent investigations have demonstrated the partition of the TPJ in discrete subsectors. Nonetheless, whether these subsectors play different roles or implement an overarching function remains debated. Here, based on a review of available evidence, we propose that the left TPJ codes both matches and mismatches between expected and actual sensory, motor, or cognitive events while the right TPJ codes mismatches. These operations help keeping track of statistical contingencies in personal, environmental, and conceptual space. We show that this hypothesis can account for the participation of the TPJ in disparate cognitive functions, including "humour", and explain: a) the higher incidence of spatial neglect in right brain damage; b) the different emotional reactions that follow left and right brain damage; c) the hemispheric lateralisation of optimistic bias mechanisms; d) the lateralisation of mechanisms that regulate routine and novelty behaviours. We propose that match and mismatch operations are aimed at approximating "free energy", in terms of the free energy principle of decision-making. By approximating "free energy", the match/mismatch TPJ system supports both information seeking to update one's own beliefs and the pleasure of being right in one's own' current choices. This renewed view of the TPJ has relevant clinical implications because the misfunctioning of TPJ-related "match" and "mismatch" circuits in unilateral brain damage can produce low-dimensional deficits of active-inference and predictive coding that can be associated with different neuropsychological disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabrizio Doricchi
- Dipartimento di Psicologia 39, Università degli Studi di Roma 'La Sapienza', Roma, Italy; Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, Roma, Italy.
| | - Stefano Lasaponara
- Dipartimento di Psicologia 39, Università degli Studi di Roma 'La Sapienza', Roma, Italy; Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, Roma, Italy
| | - Mariella Pazzaglia
- Dipartimento di Psicologia 39, Università degli Studi di Roma 'La Sapienza', Roma, Italy; Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, Roma, Italy
| | - Massimo Silvetti
- Computational and Translational Neuroscience Lab (CTNLab), Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council (CNR), Rome, Italy
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Abstract
Binary decision models have been the subject of renewed research in recent years. In these models, agents follow a stochastic evolution where they must choose between two possible choices by taking into account the choices of their peers. Kirman explained the process of ant social herding using a simple model, and he conducted an interesting simulation. The fat-tail distribution in the security market is well known, but its causes have not been sufficiently clarified. The aim of this article is to clarify them by a very simple model. In this article, by establishing a simple security market model and by applying the model of Kirman, the fat tail observed for price fluctuations is reproduced. Recent research in neuroscience has shown that noise plays a positive roll and enables us to have a deeper understanding of a natural commonality between ants and traders. The beauty competition of Keynes is kept in mind, and it is shown that a cause of the fat tail is the balance between independence and interdependence of the economic agents. Using a natural computing algorithm called Kirman’s ant model, I conducted a time series analysis of finance that appears when simplifying the human “behavior of imitating others”. The results show that natural fat tails appear.
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22
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Individual differences in co-representation in three monkey species (Callithrix jacchus, Sapajus apella and Macaca tonkeana) in the joint Simon task: the role of social factors and inhibitory control. Anim Cogn 2022; 25:1399-1415. [PMID: 35508572 PMCID: PMC9652238 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01622-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral coordination is involved in many forms of primate interactions. Co-representation is the simultaneous mental representation of one’s own and the partner’s task and actions. It often underlies behavioral coordination and cooperation success. In humans, the dyadic social context can modulate co-representation. Here, we first investigated whether individual differences in co-representation in the joint Simon task in capuchin monkeys and Tonkean macaques can be explained by social factors, namely dyadic grooming and sociality index, rank difference and eigenvector centrality. These factors did not predict variation in co-representation. However, in this specific task, co-representation reduces rather than facilitates joint performance. Automatic co-representation therefore needs to be inhibited or suppressed to maximize cooperation success. We therefore also investigated whether general inhibitory control (detour-reaching) would predict co-representation in the joint Simon task in Tonkean macaques, brown capuchin and marmoset monkeys. Inhibitory control did neither explain individual differences nor species differences, since marmosets were most successful in their joint performance despite scoring lowest on inhibitory control. These results suggest that the animals’ ability to resolve conflicts between self and other representation to increase cooperation success in this task is gradually learned due to frequent exposure during shared infant care, rather than determined by strong general inhibitory control. Further, we conclude that the joint Simon task, while useful to detect co-representation non-invasively, is less suitable for identifying the factors explaining individual differences and thus a more fruitful approach to identify these factors is to design tasks in which co-representation favors, rather than hinders cooperation success.
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23
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Learning self-supervised task progression metrics: a case of cloth folding. APPL INTELL 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10489-022-03466-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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24
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Formaux A, O'Sullivan E, Fagot J, Claidière N. Understanding Imitation in Papio papio: The Role of Experience and the Presence of a Conspecific Demonstrator. Cogn Sci 2022; 46:e13117. [PMID: 35297093 DOI: 10.1111/cogs.13117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Revised: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
What factors affect imitation performance? Varying theories of imitation stress the role of experience, but few studies have explicitly tested its role in imitative learning in non-human primates. We tested several predictions regarding the role of experience, conspecific presence, and action compatibility using a stimulus-response compatibility protocol. Nineteen baboons separated into two experimental groups learned to respond by targeting on a touch screen the same stimulus as their neighbor (compatible) or the opposite stimulus (incompatible). They first performed the task with a conspecific demonstrator (social phase) and then a computer demonstrator (ghost phase). After reaching a predetermined success threshold, they were then tested in an opposite compatibility condition (i.e., reversal learning conditions). Seven baboons performed at least two reversals during the social phase, and we found no significant difference between the compatible and incompatible conditions, although we noticed slightly faster response times (RTs) in the compatible condition that disappeared after the first reversal. During the ghost phase, monkeys showed difficulties in learning the incompatible condition, and the compatible condition RTs tended to be slower than during the social phase. Together, these results suggest that (a) there is no strong movement compatibility effect in our task and that (b) the presence of a demonstrator plays a role in eliciting correct responses but is not essential as has been previously shown in human studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Formaux
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive (LPC), Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS.,Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive (LPC), CNRS.,Station de Primatologie-Celphedia, CNRS
| | - Eoin O'Sullivan
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, The University of St. Andrews
| | - Joël Fagot
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive (LPC), Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS.,Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive (LPC), CNRS.,Station de Primatologie-Celphedia, CNRS
| | - Nicolas Claidière
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive (LPC), Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS.,Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive (LPC), CNRS.,Station de Primatologie-Celphedia, CNRS
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25
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Model expertise does not influence automatic imitation. Exp Brain Res 2022; 240:1267-1277. [PMID: 35212771 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-022-06338-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Social learning theories state that new skills can be learned by observing others. Automatic imitation is thought to play an important role in this process. However, whether imitation is beneficial to learning critically depends on the expertise of the imitated person. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the influence of model expertise on automatic imitation, by comparing automatic imitation of an expert and non-expert model in two within-subject experiments. In a first experiment (N = 61), we manipulated the perception of expertise in one task and tested how this influenced automatic imitation in a separate task. However, in contrast to our hypothesis, and in spite of a successful manipulation check, we did not find evidence for an effect of model expertise on imitative behavior. To exclude the alternative explanation that this was due to a lack of transfer of expertise attribution, we then conducted a second, preregistered experiment (N = 125), in which we manipulated model expertise using the same task also used to measure automatic imitation. However, in line with the results of Experiment 1, we found no evidence for an effect of model expertise on imitative behavior. These results put important constraints on the role of automatic imitation in motor learning.
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26
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Rudolph A, Liepelt R, Kaffes M, Hofmann-Shen C, Montag C, Neuhaus AH. Motor cognition in schizophrenia: Control of automatic imitation and mapping of action context are reduced. Schizophr Res 2022; 240:116-124. [PMID: 34995996 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2021.12.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Revised: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The ability to imitate is considered impaired in schizophrenia patients. This assumption, however, is based on heterogeneous studies mostly targeting voluntary imitation, e.g., pantomime. Studies on automatic imitation, however, and on underlying mechanisms of top-down inhibition of automatic imitation and contextual modulation in schizophrenia are highly limited. We employed two sensorimotor paradigms to examine imitation-inhibition and action context mapping in 37 schizophrenia patients and 36 matched controls. In the first experiment, participants performed finger lifts while observing a hand executing compatible or incompatible finger lifts from the third-person perspective. The compatibility or incompatibility of these finger lifts affected participants' reaction times (RTs). The comparison of between-condition RT differences shows a larger movement compatibility effect in schizophrenia than in controls. The second experiment involved finger lifts while watching a still hand, from the first-person perspective, with constrained fingers that either corresponded or did not correspond to the participants' response fingers. Here, schizophrenia patients showed a diminished RT slowing in corresponding constraint trials. While the former results provide evidence for an impaired control of imitation in patients with schizophrenia, the latter results indicate a reduced encoding of action context. In conclusion, this study provides the first evidence for deficits of top-down control of imitation and motor context processing in the same sample of schizophrenia patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Armin Rudolph
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité University Medicine, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Roman Liepelt
- Department of General Psychology, FernUniversität in Hagen, Universitätsstraße 27, 58097 Hagen, Germany.
| | - Maximilian Kaffes
- Department of Neurology, Charité University Medicine, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Christina Hofmann-Shen
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité University Medicine, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Department of Neurology, Charité University Medicine, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Christiane Montag
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité University Medicine, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Andres H Neuhaus
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité University Medicine, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Department of Psychiatry, Brandenburg Medical School, Fehrbelliner Str. 38, 16816 Neuruppin, Germany.
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27
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Emerson JR, Scott MW, van Schaik P, Butcher N, Kenny RPW, Eaves DL. A neural signature for combined action observation and motor imagery? An fNIRS study into prefrontal activation, automatic imitation, and self-other perceptions. Brain Behav 2022; 12:e2407. [PMID: 34994997 PMCID: PMC8865155 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.2407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Research indicates that both observed and imagined actions can be represented in the brain as two parallel sensorimotor representations. One proposal is that higher order cognitive processes would align these two hypothetical action simulations. METHODS We investigated this hypothesis using an automatic imitation paradigm, with functional near-infrared spectroscopy recordings over the prefrontal cortex during different motor simulation states. On each trial, participants (n = 14) observed a picture of a rhythmical action (instructed action) followed by a distractor movie showing the same or different action. Participants then executed the instructed action. Distractor actions were manipulated to be fast or slow, and instructions were manipulated during distractor presentation: action observation (AO), combined action observation and motor imagery (AO+MI) and observe to imitate (intentional imitation). A pure motor imagery (MI) condition was also included. RESULTS Kinematic analyses showed that although distractor speed effects were significant under all instructions (shorter mean cycle times in execution for fast compared to slow trials), this imitation bias was significantly stronger for combined AO+MI than both AO and MI, and stronger for intentional imitation than the other three automatic imitation conditions. In the left prefrontal cortex, cerebral oxygenation was significantly greater for combined AO+MI than all other instructions. Participants reported that their representation of the self overlapped with the observed model significantly more during AO+MI than AO. CONCLUSION Left prefrontal activation may therefore be a neural signature of AO+MI, supporting attentional switching between concurrent representations of self (MI, top-down) and other (AO, bottom-up) to increase imitation and perceived closeness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan R Emerson
- School of Health and Life Sciences, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, UK
| | - Matthew W Scott
- School of Health and Life Sciences, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, UK.,Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Psychology and Social Care, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | - Paul van Schaik
- Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Humanities & Law, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, UK
| | - Natalie Butcher
- Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Humanities & Law, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, UK
| | - Ryan P W Kenny
- Population Health Sciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
| | - Daniel L Eaves
- School of Health and Life Sciences, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, UK.,Population Health Sciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
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29
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Kathleen B, Víctor FC, Amandine M, Aurélie C, Elisabeth P, Michèle G, Rachid A, Hélène C. Addressing joint action challenges in HRI: Insights from psychology and philosophy. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2022; 222:103476. [PMID: 34974283 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2021.103476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The vast expansion of research in human-robot interactions (HRI) these last decades has been accompanied by the design of increasingly skilled robots for engaging in joint actions with humans. However, these advances have encountered significant challenges to ensure fluent interactions and sustain human motivation through the different steps of joint action. After exploring current literature on joint action in HRI, leading to a more precise definition of these challenges, the present article proposes some perspectives borrowed from psychology and philosophy showing the key role of communication in human interactions. From mutual recognition between individuals to the expression of commitment and social expectations, we argue that communicative cues can facilitate coordination, prediction, and motivation in the context of joint action. The description of several notions thus suggests that some communicative capacities can be implemented in the context of joint action for HRI, leading to an integrated perspective of robotic communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Belhassein Kathleen
- CLLE, UMR5263, Toulouse University, CNRS, UT2J, France; LAAS-CNRS, UPR8001, Toulouse University, CNRS, France
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Alami Rachid
- LAAS-CNRS, UPR8001, Toulouse University, CNRS, France
| | - Cochet Hélène
- CLLE, UMR5263, Toulouse University, CNRS, UT2J, France
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30
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Reluctance against the machine: Retrieval of observational stimulus-response episodes in online settings emerges when interacting with a human, but not with a computer partner. Psychon Bull Rev 2022; 29:855-865. [PMID: 35064526 PMCID: PMC9166856 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-022-02058-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Observing how another person responds to a stimulus creates stimulus–response (SR) episodes. These can be retrieved from memory on later occasions, which means that observed responses are utilized for regulating one’s own actions. Until now, evidence for storage and retrieval of observationally acquired SR episodes was limited to dyadic face-to-face interactions between two partners who respond in an alternating fashion. In two preregistered studies (total N = 252), we demonstrate for the first time that observational SR episodes can also be acquired in online interactions: Robust retrieval effects emerged when observers believe to be interacting with another person. In turn, retrieval effects were absent when observers believe to be interacting with a computer. Our findings show that feature-based binding and retrieval principles are pervasive and also apply to social interactions, even under purely virtual conditions. We discuss implications of our findings for different explanatory accounts of social modulations of automatic imitation.
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31
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Valizadeh A, Mbwogge M, Rasouli Yazdi A, Hedayati Amlashi N, Haadi A, Shayestefar M, Moassefi M. The mirror mechanism in schizophrenia: A systematic review and qualitative meta-analysis. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:884828. [PMID: 36213922 PMCID: PMC9532849 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.884828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mirror neuron system (MNS) consists of visuomotor neurons that are responsible for the mirror neuron activity (MNA), meaning that each time an individual observes another individual performing an action, these neurons encode that action, and are activated in the observer's cortical motor system. Previous studies report its malfunction in autism, opening doors to investigate the underlying pathophysiology of the disorder in a more elaborate way and coming up with new rehabilitation methods. The study of MNA function in schizophrenia patients has not been as frequent and conclusive as in autism. In this research, we aimed to evaluate the functional integrity of MNA and the microstructural integrity of MNS in schizophrenia patients. METHODS We included case-control studies that have evaluated MNA in schizophrenia patients compared to healthy controls using a variety of objective assessment tools. In August 2022, we searched Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science for eligible studies. We used an adapted version of the NIH Quality Assessment of Case-Control Studies tool to assess the quality of the included studies. Evidence was analyzed using vote counting methods of the direction of the effect and was tested statistically using the Sign test. Certainty of evidence was assessed using CERQual. RESULTS We included 32 studies for the analysis. Statistical tests revealed decreased MNA (p = 0.002) in schizophrenia patients. The certainty of the evidence was judged to be moderate. Investigations of heterogeneity revealed a possible relationship between the age and the positive symptoms of participants in the included studies and the direction of the observed effect. DISCUSSION This finding contributes to gaining a better understanding of the underlying pathophysiology of the disorder by revealing its possible relation to some of the symptoms in schizophrenia patients, while also highlighting a new commonality with autism. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION PROSPERO identifier: CRD42021236453.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Valizadeh
- Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | | | | | - Ainaaz Haadi
- School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Monir Shayestefar
- Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mana Moassefi
- Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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32
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Social context facilitates visuomotor synchrony and bonding in children and adults. Sci Rep 2021; 11:22869. [PMID: 34819617 PMCID: PMC8613228 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02372-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Interpersonal synchrony is a fundamental part of human social interaction, with known effects on facilitating social bonding. Moving in time with another person facilitates prosocial behaviour, however, it is unknown if the degree of synchronisation predicts the degree of social bonding. Similarly, while people readily fall in synchrony even without being instructed to do so, we do not know whether such spontaneous synchronisation elicits similar prosocial effects as instructed synchronisation. Across two studies, we investigated how context (social vs non-social stimulus) and instruction (instructed vs uninstructed) influenced synchronisation accuracy and bonding with the interaction partner in adults and children. The results revealed improved visuomotor synchrony within a social, compared to non-social, context in adults and children. Children, but not adults, synchronised more accurately when instructed to synchronise than when uninstructed. For both children and adults, synchronisation in a social context elicited stronger social bonding towards an interaction partner as compared to synchronisation in a non-social context. Finally, children's, but not adults', degree of synchrony with the partner was significantly associated with their feelings of social closeness. These findings illuminate the interaction of sensorimotor coupling and joint action in social contexts and how these mechanisms facilitate synchronisation ability and social bonding.
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Davis J, Redshaw J, Suddendorf T, Nielsen M, Kennedy-Costantini S, Oostenbroek J, Slaughter V. Does Neonatal Imitation Exist? Insights From a Meta-Analysis of 336 Effect Sizes. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2021; 16:1373-1397. [PMID: 33577426 DOI: 10.1177/1745691620959834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Neonatal imitation is a cornerstone in many theoretical accounts of human development and social behavior, yet its existence has been debated for the past 40 years. To examine possible explanations for the inconsistent findings in this body of research, we conducted a multilevel meta-analysis synthesizing 336 effect sizes from 33 independent samples of human newborns, reported in 26 articles. The meta-analysis found significant evidence for neonatal imitation (d = 0.68, 95% CI = [0.39, 0.96], p < .001) but substantial heterogeneity between study estimates. This heterogeneity was not explained by any of 13 methodological moderators identified by previous reviews, but it was associated with researcher affiliation, test of moderators (QM) (15) = 57.09, p < .001. There are at least two possible explanations for these results: (a) Neonatal imitation exists and its detection varies as a function of uncaptured methodological factors common to a limited set of studies, and (2) neonatal imitation does not exist and the overall positive result is an artifact of high researcher degrees of freedom.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline Davis
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland
| | | | | | - Mark Nielsen
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland
- Faculty of Humanities, University of Johannesburg
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34
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Tzafestas E. First Selectively Imitate Responses, Then Associate With Function. Front Psychol 2021; 12:560653. [PMID: 34504451 PMCID: PMC8421545 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.560653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Elpida Tzafestas
- Laboratory of Cognitive Science, Department of History and Philosophy of Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.,Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Technische Universität München, München, Germany
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Krause J, Romanczuk P, Cracco E, Arlidge W, Nassauer A, Brass M. Collective rule-breaking. Trends Cogn Sci 2021; 25:1082-1095. [PMID: 34493441 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2021.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Revised: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Rules form an important part of our everyday lives. Here we explore the role of social influence in rule-breaking. In particular, we identify some of the cognitive mechanisms underlying rule-breaking and propose approaches for how they can be scaled up to the level of groups or crowds to better understand the emergence of collective rule-breaking. Social contagion plays an important role in such processes and different dynamics such as linear or rapid nonlinear spreading can have important consequences for interventions in rule-breaking. A closer integration of cognitive psychology, microsociology and mathematical modelling will be key to a deeper understanding of collective rule-breaking to turn this field of research into a predictive science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens Krause
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstrasse 42, 10115 Berlin, Germany; Department of Biology and Ecology of Fishes, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, 12587 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Pawel Romanczuk
- Institute for Theoretical Biology, Department of Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Philippstraße 13, 10115 Berlin, Germany; Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Philippstr. 13, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Emiel Cracco
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - William Arlidge
- Department of Biology and Ecology of Fishes, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, 12587 Berlin, Germany
| | - Anne Nassauer
- Department of Sociology, John F. Kennedy Institute, Freie Universität Berlin, Lansstrasse 7-9, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Marcel Brass
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; Berlin School of Mind and Brain/Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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36
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Takeuchi N, Izumi SI. Motor Learning Based on Oscillatory Brain Activity Using Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation: A Review. Brain Sci 2021; 11:1095. [PMID: 34439714 PMCID: PMC8392205 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11081095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Revised: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Developing effective tools and strategies to promote motor learning is a high-priority scientific and clinical goal. In particular, motor-related areas have been investigated as potential targets to facilitate motor learning by noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS). In addition to shedding light on the relationship between motor function and oscillatory brain activity, transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), which can noninvasively entrain oscillatory brain activity and modulate oscillatory brain communication, has attracted attention as a possible technique to promote motor learning. This review focuses on the use of tACS to enhance motor learning through the manipulation of oscillatory brain activity and its potential clinical applications. We discuss a potential tACS-based approach to ameliorate motor deficits by correcting abnormal oscillatory brain activity and promoting appropriate oscillatory communication in patients after stroke or with Parkinson's disease. Interpersonal tACS approaches to manipulate intra- and inter-brain communication may result in pro-social effects and could promote the teaching-learning process during rehabilitation sessions with a therapist. The approach of re-establishing oscillatory brain communication through tACS could be effective for motor recovery and might eventually drive the design of new neurorehabilitation approaches based on motor learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoyuki Takeuchi
- Department of Physical Therapy, Akita University Graduate School of Health Sciences 1-1-1, Hondo, Akita 010-8543, Japan
| | - Shin-Ichi Izumi
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai 980-8575, Japan;
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37
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Zhao W, Hui M, Zhang X, Li L. The Relationship between Motor Coordination and Imitation: An fNIRS Study. Brain Sci 2021; 11:1052. [PMID: 34439671 PMCID: PMC8391614 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11081052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Although motor coordination and imitation are important factors affecting motor skill learning, few studies have examined the relationship between them in healthy adults. In order to address this in the present study, we used fNIRS to analyze the relationship between motor coordination and imitation in college students. Our results showed that: (1) motor coordination in female students was positively correlated with the average time taken to perform an imitation; (2) the mean imitation time was negatively correlated with the activation level of the supplementary motor cortex, primary somatosensory cortex, and angular gyrus of the mirror neuron system; (3) motor coordination in female students moderated mirror neuron system (MNS) activation and imitation. For women with low rather than high motor coordination, higher MNS activation was associated with a stronger imitation ability. These results demonstrate that motor coordination in female students is closely related to action imitation, and that it moderates the activation of the MNS, as measured via fNIRS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenrui Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Adolescent Health Assessment and Exercise Intervention of the Ministry of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China; (W.Z.); (M.H.); (X.Z.)
- College of Physical Education and Health, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Minqiang Hui
- Key Laboratory of Adolescent Health Assessment and Exercise Intervention of the Ministry of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China; (W.Z.); (M.H.); (X.Z.)
- College of Physical Education and Health, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
- Qiushi College, Taiyuan University of Technology, Jinzhong 030600, China
| | - Xiaoyou Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Adolescent Health Assessment and Exercise Intervention of the Ministry of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China; (W.Z.); (M.H.); (X.Z.)
- College of Physical Education and Health, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Lin Li
- Key Laboratory of Adolescent Health Assessment and Exercise Intervention of the Ministry of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China; (W.Z.); (M.H.); (X.Z.)
- College of Physical Education and Health, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
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38
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Genschow O, Cracco E, Verbeke P, Westfal M, Crusius J. A direct test of the similarity assumption - Focusing on differences as compared with similarities decreases automatic imitation. Cognition 2021; 215:104824. [PMID: 34242855 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2021.104824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Individuals automatically imitate a wide range of different behaviors. Previous research suggests that imitation as a social process depends on the similarity between interaction partners. However, some of the experiments supporting this notion could not be replicated and all of the supporting experiments manipulated not only similarity between actor and observer, but also other features. Thus, the existing evidence leaves open whether similarity as such moderates automatic imitation. To directly test the similarity account, in four experiments, we manipulated participants' focus on similarities or differences while holding the stimulus material constant. In Experiment 1, we presented participants with a hand and let them either focus on similarities, differences, or neutral aspects between their own hand and the other person's hand. The results indicate that focusing on similarities increased perceived similarity between the own and the other person's hand. In Experiments 2 to 4, we tested the hypothesis that focusing on similarities, as compared with differences, increases automatic imitation. Experiment 2 tested the basic effect and found support for our prediction. Experiment 3 and 4 replicated this finding with higher-powered samples. Exploratory investigations further suggest that it is a focus on differences that decreases automatic imitation, and not a focus on similarities that increases automatic imitation. Theoretical implications and future directions are discussed.
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Liebermann-Jordanidis H, Novembre G, Koch I, Keller PE. Simultaneous self-other integration and segregation support real-time interpersonal coordination in a musical joint action task. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2021; 218:103348. [PMID: 34058671 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2021.103348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Revised: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to distinguish between an individual's own actions and those of another person is a requirement for successful joint action, particularly in domains such as group music making where precise interpersonal coordination ensures perceptual overlap in the effects of co-performers' actions. We tested the hypothesis that such coordination benefits from simultaneous integration and segregation of information about 'self' and 'other' in an experiment using a musical joint action paradigm. Sixteen pairs of individuals with little or no musical training performed a dyadic synchronization task on a pair of electronic music boxes. The relationship between pitches produced by paired participants (same vs. different) and the relationship between movement frequencies required to trigger synchronous tones (congruent vs. incongruent) were varied in a repeated measures design. The results indicate that interpersonal coordination was most accurate when sounds were different in pitch but movement frequency was congruent. Under other conditions, participants often drifted apart, resulting in poor coordination, especially with same sounds and incongruent movements across co-performers. These findings suggest that interpersonal coordination was facilitated when simultaneous self-other integration and segregation occurred across sensory modalities in an asymmetrical manner where pitch relations favoured segregation via auditory streaming while movement congruence favoured integration via visuo-motor coupling. Such self-other representational balance may enable co-performers to maintain autonomous control while attending, anticipating, and adapting to each other's timing when joint action requires precise temporal coordination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Liebermann-Jordanidis
- Department of Medical Psychology|Neuropsychology and Gender Studies & Center for Neuropsychological Diagnostics and Intervention (CeNDI), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Germany
| | | | - Iring Koch
- Cognitive and Experimental Psychology, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen, Germany
| | - Peter E Keller
- MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Australia.
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40
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Genschow O, Westfal M, Cracco E, Crusius J. Group membership does not modulate automatic imitation. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2021; 86:780-791. [PMID: 34109471 PMCID: PMC8942900 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-021-01526-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
AbstractIndividuals have the automatic tendency to imitate each other. A key prediction of different theories explaining automatic imitation is that individuals imitate in-group members more strongly than out-group members. However, the empirical basis for this prediction is rather inconclusive. Only a few experiments have investigated the influence of group membership using classic automatic imitation paradigms and these experiments led to mixed results. To put the group membership prediction to a critical test, we carried out six high-powered experiments (total N = 1538) in which we assessed imitation with the imitation-inhibition task and manipulated group membership in different ways. Evidence across all experiments indicates that group membership does not modulate automatic imitation. Moreover, we do not find support for the idea that feelings of affiliation or perceived similarity moderate the effect of group membership on automatic imitation. These results have important implications for theories explaining automatic imitation and contribute to the current discussion of whether automatic imitation can be socially modulated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Genschow
- Social Cognition Center Cologne, University of Cologne, Richard-Strauss Str. 2, 50931, Cologne, Germany.
| | - Mareike Westfal
- Social Cognition Center Cologne, University of Cologne, Richard-Strauss Str. 2, 50931, Cologne, Germany
| | - Emiel Cracco
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jan Crusius
- Social Cognition Center Cologne, University of Cologne, Richard-Strauss Str. 2, 50931, Cologne, Germany
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41
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Quadrelli E, Bartoli B, Bolognini N, Cavanna AE, Zibordi F, Nardocci N, Turati C, Termine C. Automatic imitation in youngsters with Gilles de la Tourette syndrome: A behavioral study. Child Neuropsychol 2021; 27:782-798. [PMID: 33641606 DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2021.1892050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
It is widely known that humans have a tendency to imitate each other and that appropriate modulation of automatic imitative behaviors has a crucial function in social interactions. Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS) is a childhood-onset neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by motor and phonic tics. Apart from tics, patients with GTS are often reported to show an abnormal tendency to automatically imitate others' behaviors (i.e., echophenomena), which may be related to a failure in top-down inhibition of imitative response tendencies. The aim of the current study is to explore the top-down inhibitory mechanisms on automatic imitative behaviors in youngsters with GTS. Error rates and reaction times from 32 participants with GTS and 32 controls were collected in response to an automatic imitation task assessing the influence of observed movements displayed in the first-person perspective on congruent and incongruent motor responses. Results showed that participants with GTS had higher error rates than controls, and their responses were faster than those of controls in incompatible stimuli. Our findings provide novel evidence of a key difference between youngsters with GTS and typically developing participants in the ability to effectively control the production of own motor responses to sensory inputs deriving from observed actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Quadrelli
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.,NeuroMI, Milan Center for Neuroscience, Milan, Italy
| | - B Bartoli
- Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - N Bolognini
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.,NeuroMI, Milan Center for Neuroscience, Milan, Italy
| | - A E Cavanna
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust and University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.,School of Life and Health Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham, UK.,Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - F Zibordi
- Department of Pediatric Neuroscience, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - N Nardocci
- Department of Pediatric Neuroscience, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - C Turati
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.,NeuroMI, Milan Center for Neuroscience, Milan, Italy
| | - C Termine
- Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
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42
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He L, Han W, Shi Z. The Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on Negative Self-Representations in Social Anxiety Disorder-A Randomized Wait-List Controlled Trial. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:582333. [PMID: 34054590 PMCID: PMC8149603 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.582333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
This study examines the impact of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) vs. wait list (WL) on the self-reference effect involving negative adjectives in individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD). Eighty-five participants with SAD were randomly assigned to 12 weeks of MBSR or WL and completed an incidental SRE task that assessed treatment-related negative self-representations. Self-related negative adjectives were worse remembered in MBSR than in WL, and other-related negative adjectives were better remembered in MBSR than in WL. No differences emerged between the levels of self- and other-related processing for adjectives in MBSR. Moreover, the MBSR-related decreases in the difference in recognition memory performance between self and other conditions, that is, the treatment-related equilibrium, could predict the MBSR-related decreases in social anxiety symptoms. The selfless functioning and self-other control that can provide reasonable interpretations for these findings were discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liguo He
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Wei Han
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Zhan Shi
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
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43
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Frolli A, Ricci MC, Bosco A, Lombardi A, Cavallaro A, Operto FF, Rega A. Video Modeling and Social Skills Learning in ASD-HF. CHILDREN-BASEL 2020; 7:children7120279. [PMID: 33302423 PMCID: PMC7762579 DOI: 10.3390/children7120279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Revised: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders represent a heterogeneous group of clinical situations, and are mainly represented by a deficit of social communication. In this study, we compare two strategies to enhance communicative/social skills, namely self-video modeling and peer video modeling. The subjects were divided into two groups treated via the method of self-video modeling (group 1) or peer video modeling (group 2). For both groups of subjects affected by ASD-HF (Autism Spectrum Disorder-high-functioning), three different activities were proposed: (a) interacting with a salesperson while making a purchase, (b) initiating and maintaining a conversation with peers, and (c) starting and maintaining an enjoyable activity with a peer. The ability to rapidly accomplish the task was used as the main criteria to appraise the groups’ responses to the proposed activities. In group 1, the use of self-video modeling procedures demonstrated a faster and correct execution of the three proposed tasks (especially task 3) when compared to group 2. In group 2, the use of peer video modeling has instead led to a slower acquisition of abilities to process and perform the tasks. The use of self-video modeling speeds up the acquisition of skills to perform communicative/social tasks, compared to peer video modeling’s slower performance in subjects with ASD-HF. Results could be related to either the amount of time the subject is exposed to the task or to the capacity of ASD-HF subjects to self-value one’s own actions more than others. In our work, we have tried to reset the differences in exposure time. Therefore, self-video modeling is demonstrated to be more effective, as it produces a response to the signification/mirroring characteristic of ASD-HF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Frolli
- DRC—Disability Research Centre, University of International Studies of Rome, 00147 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-347-4910178
| | - Maria Carla Ricci
- FINDS—Italian Neuroscience and Developmental Disorders Foundation, 81040 Caserta, Italy; (M.C.R.); (A.B.); (A.L.); (A.C.)
| | - Antonia Bosco
- FINDS—Italian Neuroscience and Developmental Disorders Foundation, 81040 Caserta, Italy; (M.C.R.); (A.B.); (A.L.); (A.C.)
| | - Agnese Lombardi
- FINDS—Italian Neuroscience and Developmental Disorders Foundation, 81040 Caserta, Italy; (M.C.R.); (A.B.); (A.L.); (A.C.)
| | - Antonella Cavallaro
- FINDS—Italian Neuroscience and Developmental Disorders Foundation, 81040 Caserta, Italy; (M.C.R.); (A.B.); (A.L.); (A.C.)
| | | | - Angelo Rega
- Department of Psychology, University of Naples, 80100 Naples, Italy;
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Oscillatory entrainment of neural activity between inferior frontoparietal cortices alters imitation performance. Neuropsychologia 2020; 150:107702. [PMID: 33276036 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Revised: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The frontoparietal mirror network is activated when an individual performs a goal-directed action and observes another person's intentional action. It has been speculated that the distinct frontal and parietal regions might work together to participate in the imitation process, which translates an observed movement into an identical action. We aimed to determine the relationship between the frontoparietal mirror network and imitation by applying transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) to exogenously modulate oscillatory neural activity in the left inferior frontal gyrus and the left inferior parietal lobule. In total, 45 young adults participated in this study. The participants were randomly assigned to the three tACS groups (synchronous, desynchronous, and sham; 55 Hz enveloped by 6 Hz). Before and during tACS, the participants performed the gesture matching task and the gesture imitation task. Application of synchronous tACS over the left frontoparietal cortices significantly improved the performance of gesture matching and the meaningless gesture imitation relative to the baseline performance. Desynchronous tACS deteriorated the gesture matching performance relative to the baseline results. The oscillatory entrainment of neural activity between components of the frontoparietal mirror network is considered to alter imitation performance by modulating neural information relating to the goals of actions in the frontal cortex and the means of observed actions in the parietal cortex. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that reveals that the rhythmic communication between components of the frontoparietal mirror network has a functional role in imitation.
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45
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Rasenberg M, Özyürek A, Dingemanse M. Alignment in Multimodal Interaction: An Integrative Framework. Cogn Sci 2020; 44:e12911. [PMID: 33124090 PMCID: PMC7685147 DOI: 10.1111/cogs.12911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Revised: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
When people are engaged in social interaction, they can repeat aspects of each other's communicative behavior, such as words or gestures. This kind of behavioral alignment has been studied across a wide range of disciplines and has been accounted for by diverging theories. In this paper, we review various operationalizations of lexical and gestural alignment. We reveal that scholars have fundamentally different takes on when and how behavior is considered to be aligned, which makes it difficult to compare findings and draw uniform conclusions. Furthermore, we show that scholars tend to focus on one particular dimension of alignment (traditionally, whether two instances of behavior overlap in form), while other dimensions remain understudied. This hampers theory testing and building, which requires a well-defined account of the factors that are central to or might enhance alignment. To capture the complex nature of alignment, we identify five key dimensions to formalize the relationship between any pair of behavior: time, sequence, meaning, form, and modality. We show how assumptions regarding the underlying mechanism of alignment (placed along the continuum of priming vs. grounding) pattern together with operationalizations in terms of the five dimensions. This integrative framework can help researchers in the field of alignment and related phenomena (including behavior matching, mimicry, entrainment, and accommodation) to formulate their hypotheses and operationalizations in a more transparent and systematic manner. The framework also enables us to discover unexplored research avenues and derive new hypotheses regarding alignment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlou Rasenberg
- Centre for Language StudiesRadboud University
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and BehaviourRadboud University
| | - Asli Özyürek
- Centre for Language StudiesRadboud University
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and BehaviourRadboud University
- Communicative Alignment in Brain and Behaviour TeamLanguage in Interaction Consortium
| | - Mark Dingemanse
- Centre for Language StudiesRadboud University
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and BehaviourRadboud University
- Communicative Alignment in Brain and Behaviour TeamLanguage in Interaction Consortium
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46
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Shaham G, Mortillaro M, Aviezer H. Automatic facial reactions to facial, body, and vocal expressions: A stimulus-response compatibility study. Psychophysiology 2020; 57:e13684. [PMID: 32996608 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2019] [Revised: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
When perceiving emotional facial expressions there is an automatic tendency to react with a matching facial expression. A classic explanation of this phenomenon, termed the matched motor hypothesis, highlights the importance of topographic matching, that is, the correspondence in body parts, between perceived and produced actions. More recent studies using mimicry paradigms have challenged this classic account, producing ample evidence against the matched motor hypothesis. However, research using stimulus-response compatibility (SRC) paradigms usually assumed the effect relies on topographic matching. While mimicry and SRC share some characteristics, critical differences between the paradigms suggest conclusions cannot be simply transferred from one to another. Thus, our aim in the present study was to directly test the matched motor hypothesis using SRC. Specifically, we investigated whether observing emotional body postures or hearing emotional vocalizations produces a tendency to respond with one's face, despite completely different motor actions being involved. In three SRC experiments, participants were required to either smile or frown in response to a color cue, presented concurrently with stimuli of happy and angry facial (experiment 1), body (experiment 2), or vocal (experiment 3) expressions. Reaction times were measured using facial EMG. Whether presenting facial, body, or vocal expressions, we found faster responses in compatible, compared to incompatible trials. These results demonstrate that the SRC effect of emotional expressions does not require topographic matching. Our findings question interpretations of previous research and suggest further examination of the matched motor hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Galit Shaham
- Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Marcello Mortillaro
- Swiss Centre for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Hillel Aviezer
- Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
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Individual differences in social and non-social cognitive control. Cognition 2020; 202:104317. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2019] [Revised: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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Rauchbauer B, Dunbar RI, Lamm C. Being mimicked affects inhibitory mechanisms of imitation. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2020; 209:103132. [PMID: 32683097 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2020.103132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2020] [Revised: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
This study investigated the effects of being mimicked on automatic imitation indices and social cohesion. 180 female participants were either interactively mimicked or anti-mimicked. In the mimicry condition, a confederate topographically aligned, during anti-mimicry, misaligned, their behavior to the participants. Being mimicked may evoke a sense of overlap between self and other generated movements. This so-created self-other overlap may generalize to other forms of imitation and social cohesion. Here, we investigated the effects of being mimicked on automatic imitation indices, using the Imitation-Inhibition Task. These indices are the baseline corrected facilitation and inhibition index, and the interference index which depicts the relation between facilitation and inhibition. In case of a generalized self-other overlap, we expect an increase in the facilitation, inhibition, and interference index, after the Mimicry as compared to the Anti-Mimicry condition. We furthermore predicted that the modulation of the indices would predict higher social cohesion ratings. Yet, our results showed a lower inhibition index after being mimicked, respectively an increase after Anti-Mimicry, with no effects on social cohesion ratings. This suggests that potential self-other overlap after being mimicked does not generalize to automatic imitation indices. Instead, being mimicked may have increased self-regulatory processes, and task performance.
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Rauchbauer B, Grosbras MH. Developmental trajectory of interpersonal motor alignment: Positive social effects and link to social cognition. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 118:411-425. [PMID: 32783968 PMCID: PMC7415214 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.07.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2020] [Revised: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Interpersonal motor alignment (IMA) has positive effects on healthy social life. IMA - mimicry, synchrony, automatic imitation - is studied throughout development. It relies on motor resonance brain mechanisms identified throughout development. It is modulated by contextual and personal factors. IMA is underinvestigated in adolescence, yet it may aid to enhance resilience.
Interpersonal motor alignment is a ubiquitous behavior in daily social life. It is a building block for higher social cognition, including empathy and mentalizing and promotes positive social effects. It can be observed as mimicry, synchrony and automatic imitation, to name a few. These phenomena rely on motor resonance processes, i.e., a direct link between the perception of an action and its execution. While a considerable literature debates its underlying mechanisms and measurement methods, the question of how motor alignment comes about and changes in ontogeny all the way until adulthood, is rarely discussed specifically. In this review we will focus on the link between interpersonal motor alignment, positive social effects and social cognition in infants, children, and adolescents, demonstrating that this link is present early on in development. Yet, in reviewing the existing literature pertaining to social psychology and developmental social cognitive neuroscience, we identify a knowledge gap regarding the healthy developmental changes in interpersonal motor alignment especially in adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birgit Rauchbauer
- Laboratoire de Neuroscience Cognitives, UMR 7291, Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, 3 Place Victor-Hugo, 13331 Marseille Cedex 3, France; Laboratoire Parole et Langage, Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, 5 Avenue Pasteur, 13100 Aix-en-Provence, France; Institut de Neuroscience de la Timone, Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, Faculté de Médecine, 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France.
| | - Marie-Hélène Grosbras
- Laboratoire de Neuroscience Cognitives, UMR 7291, Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, 3 Place Victor-Hugo, 13331 Marseille Cedex 3, France
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Dignath D, Born G, Eder A, Topolinski S, Pfister R. Imitation of action-effects increases social affiliation. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2020; 85:1922-1933. [PMID: 32666264 PMCID: PMC8289777 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-020-01378-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Accepted: 06/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Imitating someone’s actions influences social-affective evaluations and motor performance for the action model and the imitator alike. Both phenomena are explained by the similarity between the sensory and motor representations of the action. Importantly, however, theoretical accounts of action control hold that actions are represented in terms of their sensory effects, which encompass features of the movement but also features of an action’s consequence in the outside world. This suggests that social-affective consequences of imitation should not be limited to situations in which the imitator copies the model’s body movements. Rather, the present study tested whether copying the perceived action-effects of another person without imitating the eventual body movements increases the social-affective evaluation of this person. In three experiments, participants produced visual action-effects while observing videos of models who performed either the same or a different movement and produced either the same or a different action-effect. If instructions framed the action in terms of the movement, participants preferred models with similar movements (Experiment 1). However, if instructions framed the action in terms of the to-be produced action-effect in the environment, participants preferred models with similar action-effects (Experiments 2 and 3). These results extend effect-based accounts of action control like the ideomotor framework and suggest a close link between action control and affective processing in social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Dignath
- Department of Psychology, University of Freiburg, Engelbergerstrasse 41, 79085, Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Gregory Born
- Department of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- Division of Neurobiology, Department Biology II, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Andreas Eder
- Department of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | | | - Roland Pfister
- Department of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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