L8 Flashcards
(11 cards)
automatic imitation
Direct perception-action link
Automatic imitation reflects a direct link between perception and action.
stimulus response compatability
Automatic imitation is often measured using the Stimulus Response Compatibility (SRC) task.
Flashcard 4
SRC task procedure
Participants observe an action (e.g., lifting index/middle finger) while being prompted to perform same or different action.
Automatic imitation = RT difference between congruent (same) and incongruent (different) trials.
Flashcard 6
Congruent trials
Covert motor activation prepares the same action → speeds up responses.
Flashcard 7
Incongruent trials
Motor plan must be overridden → slows down responses, increases errors.
social functions of imitations
Rapport building (Chartrand & Lakin, 2013; Over & Carpenter, 2012)
Overcoming ostracism (Lakin et al., 2008; Over & Carpenter, 2009)
classical and contemporary view
Classical view
Action perception and production are distinct. Perception does not involve production processes.
Flashcard 10
Contemporary view
Action perception can engage motor production mechanisms.
imitation and accent
Imitation and accent comprehension
Imitating improves accent comprehension. (Adank, Hagoort & Bekkering, 2010)
storm model
STORM model (Wang & Hamilton, 2011)
Mimicry is top-down and socially controlled to improve social standing.
Being mimicked increases liking (Chartrand & Bargh, 1999)
Increases closeness (van Baaren et al., 2004)
Increases persuasion (Maddux et al., 2008)
Imitation should reduce when it offers no social benefit (e.g., can’t be seen or target is non-human).
Imitation more pronounced in social contexts
But still happens for non-social agents (e.g., robots)
Flashcard 22
Alternative view to STORM
Imitation is task-driven: we imitate to predict actions and complete tasks accurately.
wang and hamilton
Wang & Hamilton (2011) study setup
Participants did imitation tasks with direct gaze vs. averted gaze stimuli.
Flashcard 17
Wang & Hamilton (2011) results
Faster RTs for congruent trials with direct 2nd gaze.
Gaze modulates imitation magnitude.
press et al. (2005)
Press et al. (2005) setup
Participants completed SRC with 4 stimuli:
Human-Naturalistic, Human-Schematic, Robot-Naturalistic, Robot-Schematic.
Flashcard 19
Press et al. (2005) predictions
Larger imitation effects for:
Humans > Robots
Naturalistic > Schematic (possibly interaction)
Flashcard 20
Press et al. (2005) results
Main effect of congruency
Smaller but significant effects for non-humans
No effect of stimulus style
→ We still imitate robots
covert imitation
Simulation account (Wilson & Knoblich, 2005)
Covert imitation is automatic, facilitates real-time tracking of actions through motor simulation.
Motor simulation benefits
Fill in missing/ambiguous info
Predict short-term future actions
Works like a “mental model”
Flashcard 25
Prediction hypothesis
Blocking motor system = worse prediction
Imitation improves understanding of hard-to-predict actions
Imitation may hurt in competitive settings (e.g., rock-paper-scissors)
mulligan et al. (2016)
Mulligan et al. (2016) setup
24 participants (12 experts, 12 novices in darts) predicted dart outcomes under 4 conditions:
Control, Tone, Force (motor interference), Mimic.
Flashcard 27
Mulligan et al. results
Experts better than novices
Accuracy dropped significantly in Force condition
→ Motor system involvement is key to prediction
speech as a test case
Speech as a test case
Speech = fast + noisy
Accents = variable → hard to comprehend unfamiliar ones
→ Imitation might help
Flashcard 29
Adank et al. (2013) fMRI study
Participants trained to imitate or repeat an unfamiliar accent.
Imitate training increased BOLD activity in:
Left IFG
Left STS
Left SMA
Flashcard 30
Adank et al. (2011) behavioural study
Imitating unfamiliar accents increased comprehension more than just repeating.
Adank et al. (2011) behavioural study
Imitating unfamiliar accents increased comprehension more than just repeating.
