ERPs Differentially Reflect Automatic and Deliberate Processing of the Functional Manipulability of Objects.

Christopher R Madan,Anthony Singhal,Yvonne Y Chen

doi:10.3389/fnhum.2016.00360

Abstract

It is known that the functional properties of an object can interact with perceptual, cognitive, and motor processes. Previously we have found that a between-subjects manipulation of judgment instructions resulted in different manipulability-related memory biases in an incidental memory test. To better understand this effect we recorded electroencephalography (EEG) while participants made judgments about images of objects that were either high or low in functional manipulability (e.g., hammer vs. ladder). Using a between-subjects design, participants judged whether they had seen the object recently (Personal Experience), or could manipulate the object using their hand (Functionality). We focused on the P300 and slow-wave event-related potentials (ERPs) as reflections of attentional allocation. In both groups, we observed higher P300 and slow wave amplitudes for high-manipulability objects at electrodes Pz and C3. As P300 is thought to reflect bottom-up attentional processes, this may suggest that the processing of high-manipulability objects recruited more attentional resources. Additionally, the P300 effect was greater in the Functionality group. A more complex pattern was observed at electrode C3 during slow wave: processing the high-manipulability objects in the Functionality instruction evoked a more positive slow wave than in the other three conditions, likely related to motor simulation processes. These data provide neural evidence that effects of manipulability on stimulus processing are further mediated by automatic vs. deliberate motor-related processing.

Highlights

Interacting with objects using our hands is a fundamental facet of daily life
On the face of it, these results strongly suggest that the processing of images of high-manipulability objects recruits more attentional resources than the processing of low-manipulability objects
We observed a larger amplitude slow-wave at electrode C3 during the processing of high-manipulability objects compared to low, but only in the Functionality group. This could be described as an effect of automatic vs. deliberate motor processing interacting with the manipulability of the object at some putative level of motor-simulation processing, rather than merely reflecting the allocation of attentional resources

Summary

Introduction

Interacting with objects using our hands is a fundamental facet of daily life. Children play with toys; musicians become skilled with instruments; most adults have some experience with household tools required for household maintenance and do-it-yourself projects. All of these objects can be interacted with for an intended functional purpose, i.e., are tools. Other objects can only be volumetrically manipulated (i.e., moved or rotated), but not used functionally, such as a chair, carpet, and ladder (see Figure 1A). We refer to these two types of objects as high- and low-manipulability, respectively (see Madan and Singhal, 2012a,b). We used event-related potentials (ERPs) to further investigate how these two types of objects are differentially processed within the brain, as well as how attending

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion