Concurrently Observed Actions Are Represented Not as Compound Actions but as Independent Actions

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

Recent research suggests that we can simultaneously represent the actions of multiple agents in our motor system. However, it is unclear exactly how concurrently observed actions are represented. Here, we tested two competing hypotheses. According to the independence hypothesis, concurrently observed actions are represented as independent actions. According to the compound hypothesis, they are instead integrated, whenever possible, into compound actions. In Experiment 1 (N = 32), we first show that the standard imitation-inhibition task with a single hand can be extended to measure automatic imitation of compound actions. In Experiments 2–5 (NTotal = 368), we then investigated the representation of concurrently observed actions by further extending this task to include two hands. The results showed that two hands performing two different actions (e.g., one hand lifts index finger, one hand lifts middle finger) produced an effect similar to that of both hands performing just one of those actions (e.g., both hands lift index finger) but different from that of both hands performing both actions together (i.e., a compound action; lift both index and middle finger). This indicates that concurrently observed actions are coded as independent actions in the motor system.

Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance
Volume48
Issue number11
Pages (from-to)1172-1185
Number of pages14
ISSN0096-1523
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.11.2022
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Emiel Cracco was supported by two postdoctoral fellowships awarded by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO18/PDO/049 and 12U0322N). Marcel Brass was supported by an Einstein Strategic Professorship of the Einstein Foundation Berlin. The stimuli, experimental programs, data, and analyses of can be found on the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/gua5x/).

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 American Psychological Association

    Research areas

  • Automatic imitation, Compound actions, Integration, Multiple agents
  • Business psychology

DOI

Recently viewed

Publications

  1. Microstructure and mechanical properties of as-cast Mg-Sn-Ca alloys and effect of alloying elements
  2. Utilization of protein-rich residues in biotechnological processes
  3. Consumer Preferences for Local Food: Testing an Extended Norm Taxonomy
  4. EU decision-making in asylum policy
  5. Forms of theorising in entrepreneurship – The case of effectuation as a theory
  6. Hydrological tracers for assessing transport and dissipation processes of pesticides in a model constructed wetland system
  7. Health and the intention to retire: exploring the moderating effects of human resources practices
  8. Integrating a piezoelectric actuator with mechanical and hydraulic devices to control camless engines
  9. Modeling of microstructural pattern formation in crystal plasticity
  10. The means determine the end
  11. ICT knowledge absorptive capacity: A critical factor for technology integration in schools
  12. Curatorial Practices of the ‘Global’
  13. Fragmentierung und Kooptation
  14. Effect of salinity-changing rates on filtration activity of mussels from two sites within the Baltic Mytilus hybrid zone
  15. The Exilic Classroom
  16. Intricate Letters and the Reification of Light
  17. Towards Ecosystems for Responsible AI
  18. Why the measurement of species diversity requires prior value judgements
  19. Telomere length is a strong predictor of foraging behavior in a long-lived seabird
  20. Changes in the Work Situation and Attitudes in East-germany After the Introduction of Capitalism
  21. Progress and challenge for magnesium alloys as biomaterials
  22. A Decision Support System for Crew Rostering in Public Transit
  23. Entangled Identities
  24. Mindfulness as self-confirmation? An exploratory intervention study on potentials and limitations of mindfulness-based interventions in the context of environmental and sustainability education
  25. Explorations in social spaces
  26. Transgressive Use of Technology
  27. A switching model predictive control for overcoming a hysteresis effect in a hybrid actuator for camless internal combustion engines
  28. Putting inquiry-based learning into practice
  29. Organizing for innovation through accelerators: An introduction
  30. Sustainability in Business: Integrated Management of Value Creation and Disvalue Mitigation
  31. Pathways towards sustainable and just futures with and for disabled populations
  32. Who wants to take an intelligence test? Personality and achievement motivation in the context of ability testing
  33. Diversity and specificity of host-natural enemy interactions in an urban-rural interface