Motor imagery during action observation modulates automatic imitation effects in rhythmical actions.

Eaves, Daniel and Haythornthwaite, Lauren and Vogt, Stefan (2014) Motor imagery during action observation modulates automatic imitation effects in rhythmical actions. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 8: 28. ISSN 1662-5161

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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.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
Additional Information:
© 2014 Eaves, Haythornthwaite and Vogt. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Subjects:
?? motor simulationmirror neuronsjoint actionmental practicevideo therapyobservational learningstroke rehabilitationmovement demonstrations ??
ID Code:
74602
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
09 Jul 2015 12:34
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
24 Mar 2024 00:45