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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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2
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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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3
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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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Conditional effects of gaze on automatic imitation: the role of autistic traits. Sci Rep 2020; 10:15512. [PMID: 32968117 PMCID: PMC7511335 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-72513-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Establishing direct gaze has been shown to enhance the tendency to automatically imitate the other person's actions, an effect that seems to be reduced in autism. Most previous studies, however, used experimental tasks that may have confounded the measurement of automatic imitation with spatial compatibility effects. This calls into question whether gaze cues regulate automatic imitation, or instead affect domain-general processes of response inhibition. Using a task that disentangled imitative from spatial compatibility effects, the current study re-examined the role of autistic traits on the modulation of automatic imitation by direct and averted gaze cues. While our results do not provide evidence for an overall significant influence of gaze on neither automatic imitation nor spatial compatibility, autistic traits were predictive of a reduced inhibition of imitative behaviour following averted gaze. Nonetheless, exploratory analyses suggested that the observed modulation by autistic traits may actually be better explained by the effects of concomitant social anxiety symptoms. In addition, the ethnicity of the imitated agent was identified as another potential modulator of the gaze effects on automatic imitation. Overall, our findings highlight the contextual nature of automatic imitation, but call for a reconsideration of the role of gaze on imitative behaviour.
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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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Tumialis A, Smirnov A, Fadeev K, Alikovskaia T, Khoroshikh P, Sergievich A, Golokhvast K. Motor Program Transformation of Throwing Dart from the Third-Person Perspective. Brain Sci 2020; 10:E55. [PMID: 31963722 PMCID: PMC7016666 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10010055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Revised: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The perspective of perceiving one's action affects its speed and accuracy. In the present study, we investigated the change in accuracy and kinematics when subjects throw darts from the first-person perspective and the third-person perspective with varying angles of view. To model the third-person perspective, subjects were looking at themselves as well as the scene through the virtual reality head-mounted display (VR HMD). The scene was supplied by a video feed from the camera located to the up and 0, 20 and 40 degrees to the right behind the subjects. The 28 subjects wore a motion capture suit to register their right hand displacement, velocity and acceleration, as well as torso rotation during the dart throws. The results indicated that mean accuracy shifted in opposite direction with the changes of camera location in vertical axis and in congruent direction in horizontal axis. Kinematic data revealed a smaller angle of torso rotation to the left in all third-person perspective conditions before and during the throw. The amplitude, speed and acceleration in third-person condition were lower compared to the first-person view condition, before the peak velocity of the hand in the direction toward the target and after the peak velocity in lowering the hand. Moreover, the hand movement angle was smaller in the third-person perspective conditions with 20 and 40 angle of view, compared with the first-person perspective condition just preceding the time of peak velocity, and the difference between conditions predicted the changes in mean accuracy of the throws. Thus, the results of this study revealed that subject's localization contributed to the transformation of the motor program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexey Tumialis
- NTI Center for Neurotechnology and VR/AR Technologies, Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok 690922, Russia; (A.S.); (K.F.)
| | - Alexey Smirnov
- NTI Center for Neurotechnology and VR/AR Technologies, Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok 690922, Russia; (A.S.); (K.F.)
| | - Kirill Fadeev
- NTI Center for Neurotechnology and VR/AR Technologies, Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok 690922, Russia; (A.S.); (K.F.)
- Far Eastern Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Education, Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok 690922, Russia; (T.A.); (P.K.); (A.S.)
| | - Tatiana Alikovskaia
- Far Eastern Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Education, Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok 690922, Russia; (T.A.); (P.K.); (A.S.)
| | - Pavel Khoroshikh
- Far Eastern Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Education, Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok 690922, Russia; (T.A.); (P.K.); (A.S.)
| | - Alexander Sergievich
- Far Eastern Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Education, Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok 690922, Russia; (T.A.); (P.K.); (A.S.)
| | - Kirill Golokhvast
- Far Eastern Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Education, Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok 690922, Russia; (T.A.); (P.K.); (A.S.)
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Watanabe R, Katsuyama N, Usui N, Taira M. Effects of pseudoexperience on the understanding of hemiplegic movements in physical therapists: An fMRI study. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2019; 23:101845. [PMID: 31075556 PMCID: PMC6510960 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2018] [Revised: 04/24/2019] [Accepted: 04/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Physical therapists (PTs) are required to obtain an accurate understanding of the physical and mental states of their patients through observational assessment. To perform comprehensive observational assessments of patients' movements, PTs likely need to engage their own neural systems involved in action understanding and theory of mind, such as the action observation network (AON) and the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ). Both systems are modulated by the observer's actual experience with the observed movements. Although, most PTs do not have physical experience with neurological disabilities, they routinely examine hemiplegic movements in stroke patients, and are thus considered to have acquired pseudoexperience with hemiplegia. We hypothesized that the PTs' pseudoexperience with hemiplegia would modulate the neural system associated with the understanding of others to elaborately comprehend the physical and mental states associated with hemiplegia. To investigate our hypothesis, we recruited 19 PTs and 19 naïve participants (NPs) to undergo functional MRI (fMRI) for cortical activity measurement while viewing videos of hemiplegic (HHM) and non-hemiplegic (non-HHM) hand movements. The participants subsequently viewed the same videos again outside the MRI scanner, and evaluated the observed hand movements via a questionnaire. Compared to the NPs, the PTs showed greater activation in the AON and rTPJ while observing HHMs. Psychophysiological interaction analyses revealed increased connectivity between the rTPJ and AON when the PTs viewed the HHMs. Behavioral analyses further indicated that the PTs more accurately assessed feeling states associated with HHMs than did NPs. These findings suggest that the PTs' pseudoexperience modulates the AON and rTPJ, enabling them to better understand hemiplegia-associated feeling states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Watanabe
- Department of Cognitive Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 MD Tower 7F Yusima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8549, Japan.
| | - Narumi Katsuyama
- Department of Cognitive Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 MD Tower 7F Yusima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8549, Japan
| | - Nobuo Usui
- Department of Cognitive Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 MD Tower 7F Yusima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8549, Japan
| | - Masato Taira
- Department of Cognitive Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 MD Tower 7F Yusima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8549, Japan
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Constable MD, Pratt J, Welsh TN. "Two Minds Don't Blink Alike": The Attentional Blink Does Not Occur in a Joint Context. Front Psychol 2018; 9:1714. [PMID: 30258390 PMCID: PMC6143683 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2018] [Accepted: 08/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Typically, when two individuals perform a task together, each partner monitors the other partners' responses and goals to ensure that the task is completed efficiently. This monitoring is thought to involve a co-representation of the joint goals and task, as well as a simulation of the partners' performance. Evidence for such "co-representation" of goals and task, and "simulation" of responses has come from numerous visual attention studies in which two participants complete different components of the same task. In the present research, an adaptation of the attentional blink task was used to determine if co-representation could exert an influence over the associated attentional mechanisms. Participants completed a rapid serial visual presentation task in which they first identified a target letter (T1) and then detected the presence of the letter X (T2) presented one to seven letters after T1. In the individual condition, the participant identified T1 and then detected T2. In the joint condition, one participant identified T1 and the other participant detected T2. Across two experiments, an attentional blink (decreased accuracy in detecting T2 when presented three letters after T1) was observed in the individual condition, but not in joint conditions. A joint attentional blink may not emerge because the co-representation mechanisms that enable joint action exert a stronger influence at information processing stages that do not overlap with those that lead to the attentional blink.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merryn D Constable
- Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jay Pratt
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Centre for Motor Control, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Timothy N Welsh
- Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Centre for Motor Control, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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9
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Watanabe R, Higuchi T, Kikuchi Y, Taira M. Visuomotor effects of body part movements presented in the first-person perspective on imitative behavior. Hum Brain Mapp 2017; 38:6218-6229. [PMID: 28929542 PMCID: PMC6867061 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2017] [Revised: 09/12/2017] [Accepted: 09/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Imitative stimuli presented from a first-person perspective (FPP) produce stronger visuomotor effects than those presented from a third-person perspective (TPP) due to the relatively greater response of the mirror neuron system (MNS) to FPP stimuli. Some previous studies utilizing TPP stimuli have reported no differences in MNS activity between moving and static bodies' stimuli. However, few studies have compared visuomotor effects of such stimuli when presented in the FPP. To clarify this issue, we measured cortical activation in 17 participants during a functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) imitation task involving three conditions: moving (a lifting finger was presented), static (an "X" appeared on a static finger), and control (an "X" appeared on a button). All stimuli were presented from the FPP or TPP. Participants were asked to lift the finger corresponding to the imitative stimulus. In the FPP condition, moving stimuli elicited greater MNS activation than static stimuli. Furthermore, such movement effects were stronger in the MNS and insula (a region associated with body-ownership) for FPP stimuli than for TPP stimuli. Psychophysiological interaction analysis revealed increased connectivity between the MNS and insula for moving stimuli in the FPP condition. These findings suggest that bodily movements presented in the FPP elicit a greater visuomotor response than static body presented in the FPP, and that the visuomotor effects of bodily movements were greater in the FPP condition than in the TPP condition. Our analyses further indicated that such responses are processed via the neural system underlying body-ownership. Hum Brain Mapp 38:6218-6229, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Watanabe
- Department of Cognitive Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental SciencesTokyo Medical and Dental UniversityTokyoJapan
- The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)TokyoJapan
| | - Takahiro Higuchi
- Department of Health Promotion Science, Division of Human Health SciencesGraduate School of Tokyo Metropolitan UniversityTokyoJapan
| | - Yoshiaki Kikuchi
- Department of Frontier Health Science, Division of Human Health SciencesGraduate School of Tokyo Metropolitan UniversityTokyoJapan
| | - Masato Taira
- Department of Cognitive Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental SciencesTokyo Medical and Dental UniversityTokyoJapan
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10
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Puglisi G, Leonetti A, Landau A, Fornia L, Cerri G, Borroni P. The role of attention in human motor resonance. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0177457. [PMID: 28510605 PMCID: PMC5433684 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0177457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2016] [Accepted: 04/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Observation of others' actions evokes in primary motor cortex and spinal circuits of observers a subliminal motor resonance response, which reflects the motor program encoding observed actions. We investigated the role of attention in human motor resonance with four experimental conditions, explored in different subject groups: in the first explicit condition, subjects were asked to observe a rhythmic hand flexion-extension movement performed live in front of them. In two other conditions subjects had to monitor the activity of a LED light mounted on the oscillating hand. The hand was clearly visible but it was not the focus of subjects' attention: in the semi-implicit condition hand movement was relevant to task completion, while in the implicit condition it was irrelevant. In a fourth, baseline, condition subjects observed the rhythmic oscillation of a metal platform. Motor resonance was measured with the H-reflex technique as the excitability modulation of cortico-spinal motorneurons driving a hand flexor muscle. As expected, a normal resonant response developed in the explicit condition, and no resonant response in the baseline condition. Resonant responses also developed in both semi-implicit and implicit conditions and, surprisingly, were not different from each other, indicating that viewing an action is, per se, a powerful stimulus for the action observation network, even when it is not the primary focus of subjects' attention and even when irrelevant to the task. However, the amplitude of these responses was much reduced compared to the explicit condition, and the phase-lock between the time courses of observed movement and resonant motor program was lost. In conclusion, different parameters of the response were differently affected by subtraction of attentional resources with respect to the explicit condition: time course and muscle selection were preserved while the activation of motor circuits resulted in much reduced amplitude and lost its kinematic specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guglielmo Puglisi
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milano, Medical School, Milan, Italy
| | - Antonella Leonetti
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milano, Medical School, Milan, Italy
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, University of Milano, Medical School, Milan, Italy
| | - Ayelet Landau
- Department of Psychology & Department of Cognitive Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Luca Fornia
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, University of Milano, Medical School, Milan, Italy
- Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Rozzano, Italy
| | - Gabriella Cerri
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, University of Milano, Medical School, Milan, Italy
- Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Rozzano, Italy
| | - Paola Borroni
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milano, Medical School, Milan, Italy
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Betti S, Castiello U, Guerra S, Sartori L. Overt orienting of spatial attention and corticospinal excitability during action observation are unrelated. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0173114. [PMID: 28319191 PMCID: PMC5358745 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0173114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2016] [Accepted: 02/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Observing moving body parts can automatically activate topographically corresponding motor representations in the primary motor cortex (M1), the so-called direct matching. Novel neurophysiological findings from social contexts are nonetheless proving that this process is not automatic as previously thought. The motor system can flexibly shift from imitative to incongruent motor preparation, when requested by a social gesture. In the present study we aim to bring an increase in the literature by assessing whether and how diverting overt spatial attention might affect motor preparation in contexts requiring interactive responses from the onlooker. Experiment 1 shows that overt attention—although anchored to an observed biological movement—can be captured by a target object as soon as a social request for it becomes evident. Experiment 2 reveals that the appearance of a short-lasting red dot in the contralateral space can divert attention from the target, but not from the biological movement. Nevertheless, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over M1 combined with electromyography (EMG) recordings (Experiment 3) indicates that attentional interference reduces corticospinal excitability related to the observed movement, but not motor preparation for a complementary action on the target. This work provides evidence that social motor preparation is impermeable to attentional interference and that a double dissociation is present between overt orienting of spatial attention and neurophysiological markers of action observation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Betti
- Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, Università di Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Umberto Castiello
- Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, Università di Padova, Padova, Italy
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Università di Padova, Padova, Italy
- Centro Beniamino Segre, Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Roma, Italy
| | - Silvia Guerra
- Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, Università di Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Luisa Sartori
- Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, Università di Padova, Padova, Italy
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Università di Padova, Padova, Italy
- * E-mail:
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12
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Berntsen MB, Cooper NR, Romei V. Transcranial alternating current stimulation to the inferior parietal lobe decreases mu suppression to egocentric, but not allocentric hand movements. Neuroscience 2017; 344:124-132. [PMID: 28057536 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.12.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2016] [Revised: 12/23/2016] [Accepted: 12/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Egocentric vs. allocentric perspective during observation of hand movements has been related to self-other differentiation such that movements observed from an egocentric viewpoint have been considered as self-related while movements observed from an allocentric viewpoint have been considered as belonging to someone else. Correlational studies have generally found that egocentric perspective induces greater neurophysiological responses and larger behavioral effects compared to an allocentric perspective. However, recent studies question previous findings by reporting greater (μ) suppression and greater transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)-induced motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) during observation of allocentric compared to egocentric movements. Furthermore, self-other differentiation has been generally related to activity within the inferior parietal lobe (IPL), but direct evidence for a causal and functional role of IPL in self-other differentiation is lacking. The current study was therefore designed to investigate the influence that IPL exerts on self-other differentiation. To this aim, we measured the impact of individually adjusted alpha-tuned transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) applied over IPL on μ-suppression during hands movement observation from an egocentric and allocentric perspective. Electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded during movement observation before and immediately after tACS. Results demonstrated that tACS decreased μ-reactivity over sensorimotor (but not visual) regions for egocentric (but not allocentric) movement observation providing direct evidence for a causal involvement of IPL in the observation of self- but not other-related hand movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica B Berntsen
- Centre for Brain Science, Department of Psychology, University of Essex, CO4 3SQ, United Kingdom.
| | - Nicholas R Cooper
- Centre for Brain Science, Department of Psychology, University of Essex, CO4 3SQ, United Kingdom
| | - Vincenzo Romei
- Centre for Brain Science, Department of Psychology, University of Essex, CO4 3SQ, United Kingdom
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de-la-Puente-Ranea L, García-Calvo B, La Touche R, Fernández-Carnero J, Gil-Martínez A. Influence of the actions observed on cervical motion in patients with chronic neck pain: a pilot study. J Exerc Rehabil 2016; 12:346-54. [PMID: 27656633 PMCID: PMC5031389 DOI: 10.12965/jer.1632636.318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2016] [Accepted: 07/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of the present pilot study was to prove if the action-observation (AOb) improved the cervical range of motion (CROM) in patients with nonspecific chronic neck pain (CNP). Double blind pilot study. A total of 28 subjects were randomly assigned to an effective-movement group (n=14) and an ineffective-movement group (n=14). The follow-up consisted of: pretreatment, posttreatment and 10 min after second measurement (motor imagery). Outcome measures were CROM, and pres-sure pain detection thresholds (PPDTs). No statistical differences were found in baseline on CROM and on the PPDT. Test for independent groups revealed significant changes in cervical rotation movement. Both groups in posttreatment (P=0.042; Cohen d=0.81) and after 10 min (P=0.019; Cohen d=0.9). For intragroup PPDT, the Wilcoxon test revealed significant effects in the effective movement at C2 of the pre to 10-min post (P=0.040). However, the ineffective movement revealed a significant reduction in PPDT in zygapophyseal joint of C5-C6 as the pre to post (P=0.010) as the pre to 10-min post (P=0.041) periods. In conclusions this pilot study demonstrated that the effective AOb produced significant changes versus ineffective AOb in the CROM and it could influences in PPT in subject with CNP immediately.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucía de-la-Puente-Ranea
- Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Faculty of Health Science, Department of Physiotherapy, Aravaca, Madrid, Spain; Hospital La Paz Institute for Health Research, IdiPAZ, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Roy La Touche
- Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Faculty of Health Science, Department of Physiotherapy, Aravaca, Madrid, Spain; Hospital La Paz Institute for Health Research, IdiPAZ, Madrid, Spain; Research Group on Movement and Behavioral Science and Study of Pain, The Center for Advanced Studies University La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain; Institute of Neuroscience and Craniofacial Pain (INDCRAN), Madrid, Spain
| | - Josué Fernández-Carnero
- Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Faculty of Health Science, Department of Physiotherapy, Aravaca, Madrid, Spain; Hospital La Paz Institute for Health Research, IdiPAZ, Madrid, Spain; Research Group on Movement and Behavioral Science and Study of Pain, The Center for Advanced Studies University La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain; Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Faculty of Health Science, Department of Physical Therapy, Alcorcón, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alfonso Gil-Martínez
- Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Faculty of Health Science, Department of Physiotherapy, Aravaca, Madrid, Spain; Hospital La Paz Institute for Health Research, IdiPAZ, Madrid, Spain; Research Group on Movement and Behavioral Science and Study of Pain, The Center for Advanced Studies University La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain; Institute of Neuroscience and Craniofacial Pain (INDCRAN), Madrid, Spain
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14
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Watanabe R, Higuchi T. Behavioral Advantages of the First-Person Perspective Model for Imitation. Front Psychol 2016; 7:701. [PMID: 27242614 PMCID: PMC4868846 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2016] [Accepted: 04/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Visuomotor information may be better conveyed through a first-person perspective than through a third-person perspective. However, few reports have shown a clear behavioral advantage of the first-person perspective because of the confounding factor of spatial stimulus-response compatibility. Most imitation studies have utilized visuospatial imitation tasks in which participants use the same body part as that used by the model, identified by its spatial position (i.e., the response action is predefined). In such studies, visuomotor information conveyed by the model does not appear to facilitate imitative behavior. We hypothesized that the use of the first-person perspective would facilitate more efficient imitative behavior than a third-person perspective when participants are asked to choose and reproduce an action identical to that of the model rather than to select the same body part; this task requires the analysis of both visual and motor information from the model rather than a simple assessment of spatial information. To test this hypothesis, we asked 15 participants to observe a model from two perspectives (first-person and third-person) with left or right hand laterality and to lift their index finger with an identical movement type (extension or flexion) as quickly as possible. Response latencies were shorter and fewer errors were made in trials using the first-person perspective than in those using the third-person perspective, regardless of whether the model used the right or left hand. These findings suggest that visuomotor information from the first-person perspective, without confounding effects of spatial information, facilitates efficient imitative behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Watanabe
- Department of Cognitive Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental UniversityTokyo, Japan; The Japan Society for the Promotion of ScienceTokyo, Japan
| | - Takahiro Higuchi
- Department of Health Promotion Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University Tokyo, Japan
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15
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Sacheli LM, Christensen A, Giese MA, Taubert N, Pavone EF, Aglioti SM, Candidi M. Prejudiced interactions: implicit racial bias reduces predictive simulation during joint action with an out-group avatar. Sci Rep 2015; 5:8507. [PMID: 25687636 PMCID: PMC5389129 DOI: 10.1038/srep08507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2014] [Accepted: 01/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
During social interactions people automatically apply stereotypes in order to rapidly categorize others. Racial differences are among the most powerful cues that drive these categorizations and modulate our emotional and cognitive reactivity to others. We investigated whether implicit racial bias may also shape hand kinematics during the execution of realistic joint actions with virtual in- and out-group partners. Caucasian participants were required to perform synchronous imitative or complementary reach-to-grasp movements with avatars that had different skin color (white and black) but showed identical action kinematics. Results demonstrate that stronger visuo-motor interference (indexed here as hand kinematics differences between complementary and imitative actions) emerged: i) when participants were required to predict the partner's action goal in order to on-line adapt their own movements accordingly; ii) during interactions with the in-group partner, indicating the partner's racial membership modulates interactive behaviors. Importantly, the in-group/out-group effect positively correlated with the implicit racial bias of each participant. Thus visuo-motor interference during joint action, likely reflecting predictive embodied simulation of the partner's movements, is affected by cultural inter-individual differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Maria Sacheli
- 1] Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy [2] IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Christensen
- 1] Section Computational Sensomotorics, Department of Cognitive Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research [2] Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University Clinic Tübingen, Germany
| | - Martin A Giese
- 1] Section Computational Sensomotorics, Department of Cognitive Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research [2] Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University Clinic Tübingen, Germany
| | - Nick Taubert
- 1] Section Computational Sensomotorics, Department of Cognitive Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research [2] Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University Clinic Tübingen, Germany
| | - Enea Francesco Pavone
- 1] Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy [2] IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Salvatore Maria Aglioti
- 1] Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy [2] IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Matteo Candidi
- 1] Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy [2] IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
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16
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Mattiassi ADA, Mele S, Ticini LF, Urgesi C. Conscious and Unconscious Representations of Observed Actions in the Human Motor System. J Cogn Neurosci 2014; 26:2028-41. [DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Action observation activates the observer's motor system. These motor resonance responses are automatic and triggered even when the action is only implied in static snapshots. However, it is largely unknown whether an action needs to be consciously perceived to trigger motor resonance. In this study, we used single-pulse TMS to study the facilitation of corticospinal excitability (a measure of motor resonance) during supraliminal and subliminal presentations of implied action images. We used a forward and backward dynamic masking procedure that successfully prevented the conscious perception of prime stimuli depicting a still hand or an implied abduction movement of the index or little finger. The prime was followed by the supraliminal presentation of a still or implied action probe hand. Our results revealed a muscle-specific increase of motor facilitation following observation of the probe hand actions that were consciously perceived as compared with observation of a still hand. Crucially, unconscious perception of prime hand actions presented before probe still hands did not increase motor facilitation as compared with observation of a still hand, suggesting that motor resonance requires perceptual awareness. However, the presentation of a masked prime depicting an action that was incongruent with the probe hand action suppressed motor resonance to the probe action such that comparable motor facilitation was recorded during observation of implied action and still hand probes. This suppression of motor resonance may reflect the processing of action conflicts in areas upstream of the motor cortex and may subserve a basic mechanism for dealing with the multiple and possibly incongruent actions of other individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Cosimo Urgesi
- 1Università di Udine
- 3Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico “E. Medea,” Polo Friuli Venezia Giulia, San Vito al Tagliamento (Pordenone), Italy
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17
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Heartfelt imitation: High interoceptive awareness is linked to greater automatic imitation. Neuropsychologia 2014; 60:21-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2014.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2014] [Revised: 04/23/2014] [Accepted: 05/16/2014] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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18
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Bortoletto M, Baker KS, Mattingley JB, Cunnington R. Visual-motor interactions during action observation are shaped by cognitive context. J Cogn Neurosci 2013; 25:1794-806. [PMID: 23767924 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Interactions between the visual system and the motor system during action observation are important for functions such as imitation and action understanding. Here, we asked whether such processes might be influenced by the cognitive context in which actions are performed. We recorded ERPs in a delayed go/no-go task known to induce bidirectional interference between the motor system and the visual system (visuomotor interference). Static images of hand gestures were presented as go stimuli after participants had planned either a matching (congruent) or nonmatching (incongruent) action. Participants performed the identical task in two different cognitive contexts: In one, they focused on the visual image of the hand gesture shown as the go stimulus (image context), whereas in the other, they focused on the hand gesture they performed (action context). We analyzed the N170 elicited by the go stimulus to test the influence of action plans on action observation (motor-to-visual priming). We also analyzed movement-related activity following the go stimulus to examine the influence of action observation on action planning (visual-to-motor priming). Strikingly, the context manipulation reversed the direction of the priming effects: We found stronger motor-to-visual priming in the action context compared with the image context and stronger visual-to-motor priming in the image context compared with the action context. Taken together, our findings indicate that neural interactions between motor and visual processes for executed and observed actions can change depending on task demands and are sensitive to top-down control according to the context.
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