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de Klerk CCJM, Lamy‐Yang I, Southgate V. The role of sensorimotor experience in the development of mimicry in infancy. Dev Sci 2019; 22:e12771. [PMID: 30415485 PMCID: PMC6767077 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2018] [Revised: 08/01/2018] [Accepted: 11/02/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
During social interactions we often have an automatic and unconscious tendency to copy or 'mimic' others' actions. The dominant view on the neural basis of mimicry appeals to an automatic coupling between perception and action. It has been suggested that this coupling is formed through associative learning during correlated sensorimotor experience. Although studies with adult participants have provided support for this hypothesis, little is known about the role of sensorimotor experience in supporting the development of perceptual-motor couplings, and consequently mimicry behaviour, in infancy. Here we investigated whether the extent to which an observed action elicits mimicry depends on the opportunity an infant has had to develop perceptual-motor couplings for this action through correlated sensorimotor experience. We found that mothers' tendency to imitate their 4-month-olds' facial expressions during a parent-child interaction session was related to infants' facial mimicry as measured by electromyography. Maternal facial imitation was not related to infants' mimicry of hand actions, and instead we found preliminary evidence that infants' tendency to look at their own hands may be related to their tendency to mimic hand actions. These results are consistent with the idea that mimicry is supported by perceptual-motor couplings that are formed through correlated sensorimotor experience obtained by observing one's own actions and imitative social partners.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Iona Lamy‐Yang
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive DevelopmentBirkbeck CollegeUniversity of LondonLondonUK
- School of PsychologyCardiff UniversityWalesUK
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Karlinsky A, Zentgraf K, Hodges NJ. Action-skilled observation: Issues for the study of sport expertise and the brain. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2017; 234:263-289. [PMID: 29031467 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2017.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
With a growing body of research devoted to uncovering regions of the brain implicated in action observation following various action-related experiences, including sport, we ask what we know from this research, and what we still need to know, as it pertains to sport and the brain. To do this, we review and integrate knowledge garnered from developmental work, short-term motor learning studies, and most significantly sport athletes across varying skill levels. We consider various neurophysiological methods, including TMS, fMRI, and EEG, which have been used to help uncover brain regions involved in action-skilled observation. We are particularly interested in how these processes are related to action prediction and the detection of deceptive actions among athlete groups. This research is considered within broad theoretical frameworks related to action-simulation and prediction, although our main focus is on the brain regions that have been implicated in skilled action observation and the implications of this research for knowledge and further study of sport expertise.
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Jones S. Can newborn infants imitate? WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2016; 8. [PMID: 27906519 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2015] [Revised: 07/07/2016] [Accepted: 07/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
For several decades, scientists have held that newborn human infants can imitate adult behaviors like mouth opening, tongue protruding, and finger movements. This has been difficult to explain. In particular, it is not clear how newborn infants could know enough about their own bodies and movements, and how these map onto the bodies and movements of others, to be able to match their own felt movements to the seen movements of others. Prominent theories posit the existence of inborn mechanisms that automatically link visual input from the movements of others to the infant's already existing motor programs to produce the same movements. Such mechanisms would be instances of the inheritance of specific knowledge. In this review, we explain how current data argue against the existence of an inborn mechanism for linking seen actions with programs for performing those actions. We then sketch an alternative, multicausal explanation for the gradual development of imitation across infancy and beyond. WIREs Cogn Sci 2017, 8:e1410. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1410 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan Jones
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
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Haworth JL, Kyvelidou A, Fisher W, Stergiou N. Children's looking preference for biological motion may be related to an affinity for mathematical chaos. Front Psychol 2015; 6:281. [PMID: 25852600 PMCID: PMC4362051 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2014] [Accepted: 02/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Recognition of biological motion is pervasive in early child development. Further, viewing the movement behavior of others is a primary component of a child's acquisition of complex, robust movement repertoires, through imitation and real-time coordinated action. We theorize that inherent to biological movements are particular qualities of mathematical chaos and complexity. We further posit that this character affords the rich and complex inter-dynamics throughout early motor development. Specifically, we explored whether children's preference for biological motion may be related to an affinity for mathematical chaos. Cross recurrence quantification analysis (cRQA) was used to investigate the coordination of gaze and posture with various temporal structures (periodic, chaotic, and aperiodic) of the motion of an oscillating visual stimulus. Children appear to competently perceive and respond to chaotic motion, both in rate (cRQA-percent determinism) and duration (cRQA-maxline) of coordination. We interpret this to indicate that children not only recognize chaotic motion structures, but also have a preference for coordination with them. Further, stratification of our sample (by age) uncovers the suggestion that this preference may become refined with age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua L. Haworth
- Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Kennedy Krieger InstituteBaltimore, MD, USA
- School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, University of Nebraska OmahaOmaha, NE, USA
- College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical CenterOmaha, NE, USA
| | - Anastasia Kyvelidou
- School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, University of Nebraska OmahaOmaha, NE, USA
| | - Wayne Fisher
- Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders, University of Nebraska Medical CenterOmaha, NE, USA
| | - Nicholas Stergiou
- School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, University of Nebraska OmahaOmaha, NE, USA
- College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical CenterOmaha, NE, USA
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de Klerk CCJM, Johnson MH, Heyes CM, Southgate V. Baby steps: investigating the development of perceptual-motor couplings in infancy. Dev Sci 2015; 18:270-80. [PMID: 25123212 PMCID: PMC4441281 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2013] [Accepted: 06/13/2014] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
There are cells in our motor cortex that fire both when we perform and when we observe similar actions. It has been suggested that these perceptual-motor couplings in the brain develop through associative learning during correlated sensorimotor experience. Although studies with adult participants have provided support for this hypothesis, there is no direct evidence that associative learning also underlies the initial formation of perceptual-motor couplings in the developing brain. With the present study we addressed this question by manipulating infants' opportunities to associate the visual and motor representation of a novel action, and by investigating how this influenced their sensorimotor cortex activation when they observed this action performed by others. Pre-walking 7-9-month-old infants performed stepping movements on an infant treadmill while they either observed their own real-time leg movements (Contingent group) or the previously recorded leg movements of another infant (Non-contingent control group). Infants in a second control group did not perform any steps and only received visual experience with the stepping actions. Before and after the training period we measured infants' sensorimotor alpha suppression, as an index of sensorimotor cortex activation, while they watched videos of other infants' stepping actions. While we did not find greater sensorimotor alpha suppression following training in the Contingent group as a whole, we nevertheless found that the strength of the visuomotor contingency experienced during training predicted the amount of sensorimotor alpha suppression at post-test in this group. We did not find any effects of motor experience alone. These results suggest that the development of perceptual-motor couplings in the infant brain is likely to be supported by associative learning during correlated visuomotor experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carina C J M de Klerk
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK
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Burgess JD, Arnold SL, Fitzgibbon BM, Fitzgerald PB, Enticott PG. A transcranial magnetic stimulation study of the effect of visual orientation on the putative human mirror neuron system. Front Hum Neurosci 2013; 7:679. [PMID: 24137125 PMCID: PMC3797389 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2013] [Accepted: 09/27/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Mirror neurons are a class of motor neuron that are active during both the performance and observation of behavior, and have been implicated in interpersonal understanding. There is evidence to suggest that the mirror response is modulated by the perspective from which an action is presented (e.g., egocentric or allocentric). Most human research, however, has only examined this when presenting intransitive actions. Twenty-three healthy adult participants completed a transcranial magnetic stimulation experiment that assessed corticospinal excitability whilst viewing transitive hand gestures from both egocentric (i.e., self) and allocentric (i.e., other) viewpoints. Although action observation was associated with increases in corticospinal excitability (reflecting putative human mirror neuron activity), there was no effect of visual perspective. These findings are discussed in the context of contemporary theories of mirror neuron ontogeny, including models concerning associative learning and evolutionary adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jed D Burgess
- Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, The Alfred and Central Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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Melzer A, Prinz W, Daum MM. Production and perception of contralateral reaching: A close link by 12 months of age. Infant Behav Dev 2012; 35:570-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2012.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2011] [Revised: 03/17/2012] [Accepted: 05/03/2012] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Rakison DH, Krogh L. Does causal action facilitate causal perception in infants younger than 6 months of age? Dev Sci 2011; 15:43-53. [PMID: 22251291 DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2011.01096.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Previous research has established that infants are unable to perceive causality until 6¼ months of age. The current experiments examined whether infants' ability to engage in causal action could facilitate causal perception prior to this age. In Experiment 1, 4½-month-olds were randomly assigned to engage in causal action experience via Velcro sticky mittens or not engage in causal action because they wore non-sticky mittens. Both groups were then tested in the visual habituation paradigm to assess their causal perception. Infants who engaged in causal action - but not those without this causal action experience - perceived the habituation events as causal. Experiment 2 used a similar design to establish that 4½-month-olds are unable to generalize their own causal action to causality observed in dissimilar objects. These data are the first to demonstrate that infants under 6 months of age can perceive causality, and have implications for the mechanisms underlying the development of causal perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- David H Rakison
- Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA.
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Rôle des représentations motrices dans la perception visuelle des mouvements humains. ANNEE PSYCHOLOGIQUE 2011. [DOI: 10.4074/s0003503311002065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Bidet-Ildei C, Orliaguet JP, Coello Y. Rôle des représentations motrices dans la perception visuelle des mouvements humains. ANNEE PSYCHOLOGIQUE 2011. [DOI: 10.3917/anpsy.112.0409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
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Nyström P, Ljunghammar T, Rosander K, von Hofsten C. Using mu rhythm desynchronization to measure mirror neuron activity in infants. Dev Sci 2011; 14:327-35. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2010.00979.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 140] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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KANAKOGI YASUHIRO, ITAKURA SHOJI. The link between perception and action in early infancy: From the viewpoint of the direct-matching hypothesis. JAPANESE PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-5884.2010.00429.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Ramachandra V, Depalma N, Lisiewski S. The Role of Mirror Neurons in Processing Vocal Emotions: Evidence from Psychophysiological Data. Int J Neurosci 2009; 119:681-90. [DOI: 10.1080/00207450802572188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Vivona JM. Leaping from brain to mind: a critique of mirror neuron explanations of countertransference. J Am Psychoanal Assoc 2009; 57:525-50. [PMID: 19620462 DOI: 10.1177/0003065109336443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In the current vigorous debate over the value of neuroscience to psychoanalysis, the epistemological status of the links between the data of brain research and the constructs of interest to psychoanalysts has rarely been examined. An inspection of recent discussions of mirror neuron research, particularly regarding countertransference, reveals gaps between psychoanalytic processes and the available brain activation data, and allows the evaluation of evidence for three implicit assumptions frequently made to bridge these gaps: (1) there is a straightforward correspondence between observed brain activity and mental activity; (2) similarity of localized brain activity across individuals signifies a shared interpersonal experience; (3) an automatic brain mechanism enables direct interpersonal sharing of experiences in the absence of inference and language. Examination of mirror neuron research findings reveals that these assumptions are either untested or questionable. Moreover, within neuroscience there are competing interpretations of mirror neuron findings, with diverse implications for psychoanalysis. The present state of mirror neuron research may offer us new hypotheses or metaphors, but does not provide empirical validation of the proposed models. More generally, as we attempt to learn from research findings generated outside psychoanalysis, we must strive to think scientifically, by minding the difference between data and interpretation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Del Giudice
- Center for Cognitive Science, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Torino, Italy.
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Rakison DH, Woodward AL. New perspectives on the effects of action on perceptual and cognitive development. Dev Psychol 2008; 44:1209-13. [PMID: 18793054 PMCID: PMC3625364 DOI: 10.1037/a0012999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
This special section was motivated by a resurgence in the view that it is impossible to investigate perceptual and cognitive development without considering how it is affected by, and intertwined with, infants' and children's action in the world. This view has long been foundational to the field, yet contemporary investigations of the effects of acting on cognition and perception have been limited. The research showcased in this section indicates that this trend is changing as researchers consider anew the ways in which cognition derives structure from action. The work presented here illustrates the breadth of these potential effects across ages and domains of development, and it highlights the breadth of methods that can be recruited to investigate them. This new research focus provides insight for the mechanisms by which action affects perception and cognition and at the same time reveals that much remains to be learned.
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Affiliation(s)
- David H Rakison
- Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburg, PA 15213, USA.
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Bidet-Ildei C, Orliaguet JP. Developmental study of visual perception of handwriting movement: Influence of motor competencies? Neurosci Lett 2008; 440:76-80. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2008.05.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2008] [Revised: 04/19/2008] [Accepted: 05/14/2008] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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