Joint Action: Mental Representations, Shared Information and General Mechanisms for Coordinating with Others

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.02039

Review

. 2017 Jan 4:7:2039.

doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.02039. eCollection 2016.

Joint Action: Mental Representations, Shared Information and General Mechanisms for Coordinating with Others

Affiliations

¹ Department of Cognitive Science, Central European University (CEU) Budapest, Hungary.
² Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies and Donders Center for Cognition, Radboud University Nijmegen Nijmegen, Netherlands.
³ School of Computer Science and Communication, KTH Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm, Sweden.
⁴ Department of Communication and Economics, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE) Reggio Emilia, Italy.
⁵ School of Psychology, University of Birmingham Birmingham, UK.
⁶ Institute of Sports Science, Leibniz University of Hannover Hannover, Germany.
⁷ Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna Vienna, Austria.
⁸ School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia (UBC) Vancouver, BC, Canada.
⁹ Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen Nijmegen, Netherlands.
¹⁰ Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück Osnabrück, Germany.

PMID: 28101077
PMCID: PMC5209366
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.02039

Review

Joint Action: Mental Representations, Shared Information and General Mechanisms for Coordinating with Others

Cordula Vesper et al. Front Psychol. 2017.

. 2017 Jan 4:7:2039.

doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.02039. eCollection 2016.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Cognitive Science, Central European University (CEU) Budapest, Hungary.
² Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies and Donders Center for Cognition, Radboud University Nijmegen Nijmegen, Netherlands.
³ School of Computer Science and Communication, KTH Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm, Sweden.
⁴ Department of Communication and Economics, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE) Reggio Emilia, Italy.
⁵ School of Psychology, University of Birmingham Birmingham, UK.
⁶ Institute of Sports Science, Leibniz University of Hannover Hannover, Germany.
⁷ Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna Vienna, Austria.
⁸ School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia (UBC) Vancouver, BC, Canada.
⁹ Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen Nijmegen, Netherlands.
¹⁰ Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück Osnabrück, Germany.

PMID: 28101077
PMCID: PMC5209366
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.02039

Abstract

In joint action, multiple people coordinate their actions to perform a task together. This often requires precise temporal and spatial coordination. How do co-actors achieve this? How do they coordinate their actions toward a shared task goal? Here, we provide an overview of the mental representations involved in joint action, discuss how co-actors share sensorimotor information and what general mechanisms support coordination with others. By deliberately extending the review to aspects such as the cultural context in which a joint action takes place, we pay tribute to the complex and variable nature of this social phenomenon.

Keywords: action prediction; coordination; culture; joint action; joint attention; sensorimotor communication; social interaction.

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Figures

**FIGURE 1**
**Two people carrying a heavy sofa together face the challenge of coordinating their actions in a temporally and spatially precise manner**.

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References

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1. Bach P., Nicholson T., Hudson M. (2014). The affordance-matching hypothesis: how objects guide action understanding and prediction. Front. Hum. Neurosci. 8:254 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00254 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. Bastiaansen J. A., Thioux M., Keysers C. (2009). Evidence for mirror systems in emotions. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. B Biol. Sci. 364 2391–2404. 10.1098/rstb.2009.0058 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
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1. Bidet-Caulet A., Voisin J., Bertrand O., Fonlupt P. (2005). Listening to a walking human activates the temporal biological motion area. Neuroimage 28 132–139. 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2005.06.018 - DOI - PubMed

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[1] Aglioti S. M., Cesari P., Romani M., Urgesi C. (2008). Action anticipation and motor resonance in elite basketball players. Nat. Neurosci. 11 1109–1116. 10.1038/nn.2182 - DOI - PubMed

[2] Aglioti S. M., Cesari P., Romani M., Urgesi C. (2008). Action anticipation and motor resonance in elite basketball players. Nat. Neurosci. 11 1109–1116. 10.1038/nn.2182 - DOI - PubMed

[3] Bach P., Nicholson T., Hudson M. (2014). The affordance-matching hypothesis: how objects guide action understanding and prediction. Front. Hum. Neurosci. 8:254 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00254 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[4] Bach P., Nicholson T., Hudson M. (2014). The affordance-matching hypothesis: how objects guide action understanding and prediction. Front. Hum. Neurosci. 8:254 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00254 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[5] Bastiaansen J. A., Thioux M., Keysers C. (2009). Evidence for mirror systems in emotions. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. B Biol. Sci. 364 2391–2404. 10.1098/rstb.2009.0058 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[6] Bastiaansen J. A., Thioux M., Keysers C. (2009). Evidence for mirror systems in emotions. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. B Biol. Sci. 364 2391–2404. 10.1098/rstb.2009.0058 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[7] Becchio C., Bertone C., Castiello U. (2008). How the gaze of others influences object processing. Trends Cogn. Sci. 12 254–258. 10.1016/j.tics.2008.04.005 - DOI - PubMed

[8] Becchio C., Bertone C., Castiello U. (2008). How the gaze of others influences object processing. Trends Cogn. Sci. 12 254–258. 10.1016/j.tics.2008.04.005 - DOI - PubMed

[9] Bidet-Caulet A., Voisin J., Bertrand O., Fonlupt P. (2005). Listening to a walking human activates the temporal biological motion area. Neuroimage 28 132–139. 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2005.06.018 - DOI - PubMed

[10] Bidet-Caulet A., Voisin J., Bertrand O., Fonlupt P. (2005). Listening to a walking human activates the temporal biological motion area. Neuroimage 28 132–139. 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2005.06.018 - DOI - PubMed

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Joint Action: Mental Representations, Shared Information and General Mechanisms for Coordinating with Others

Affiliations

Joint Action: Mental Representations, Shared Information and General Mechanisms for Coordinating with Others

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

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