Abstract
We have previously shown that passively observing a task-irrelevant rhythmical action can bias the cycle time of a subsequently executed rhythmical action. Here we use the same paradigm to investigate the impact of different forms of motor imagery (MI) during action observation (AO) on this automatic imitation (AI) effect. Participants saw a picture of the instructed action followed by a rhythmical distractor movie, wherein cycle time was subtly manipulated across trials. They then executed the instructed rhythmical action. When participants imagined performing the instructed action in synchrony with the distractor action (AO + MI), a strong imitation bias was found that was significantly greater than in our previous study. The bias was pronounced equally for compatible and incompatible trials, wherein observed and imagined actions were different in type (e.g., face washing vs. painting) or plane of movement, or both. In contrast, no imitation bias was observed when MI conflicted with AO. In Experiment 2, motor execution synchronized with AO produced a stronger imitation bias compared to AO + MI, showing an advantage in synchronization for overt execution over MI. Furthermore, the bias was stronger when participants synchronized the instructed action with the distractor movie, compared to when they synchronized the distractor action with the distractor movie. Although we still observed a significant bias in the latter condition, this finding indicates a degree of specificity in AI effects for the identity of the synchronized action. Overall, our data show that MI can substantially modulate the effects of AO on subsequent execution, wherein: (1) combined AO + MI can enhance AI effects relative to passive AO; (2) observed and imagined actions can be flexibly coordinated across different action types and planes; and (3) conflicting AO + MI can abolish AI effects. Therefore, combined AO + MI instructions should be considered in motor training and rehabilitation.
Highlights
Research in action observation (AO) and imitation has made a series of important discoveries since the early 1990s
It is most likely that the imitation bias was enhanced by increases in somatosensory feedback during overt compared to imagined execution
The findings from the present two studies indicate that combined AO + motor imagery (MI) instructions will be most useful in applied settings when overt execution is either restricted or not possible, for example, due to time or injury constraints
Summary
Research in action observation (AO) and imitation has made a series of important discoveries since the early 1990s. Research investigating the neurocognitive mechanisms that underpin such imitative behavior essentially shows that watching another person’s action primes execution of similar actions in the observer (visuomotor priming; for a review see Vogt and Thomaschke, 2007). This phenomenon has been termed automatic imitation (AI; Heyes, 2011): a type of stimulus-response compatibility (SRC) effect, wherein observing a task-irrelevant action (distractor) facilitates the performance of similar actions and interferes with the performance of dissimilar actions. We describe how our previous findings led us to instruct MI during AO in the present two experiments
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