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. 2023 Oct 13;18(1):nsad046.
doi: 10.1093/scan/nsad046.

Effector-specific motor simulation supplements core action recognition processes in adverse conditions

Gilles Vannuscorps  1   2   3 , Alfonso Caramazza  3   4
Affiliations

Effector-specific motor simulation supplements core action recognition processes in adverse conditions

Gilles Vannuscorps et al. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. .

Abstract

Observing other people acting activates imitative motor plans in the observer. Whether, and if so when and how, such 'effector-specific motor simulation' contributes to action recognition remains unclear. We report that individuals born without upper limbs (IDs)-who cannot covertly imitate upper-limb movements-are significantly less accurate at recognizing degraded (but not intact) upper-limb than lower-limb actions (i.e. point-light animations). This finding emphasizes the need to reframe the current controversy regarding the role of effector-specific motor simulation in action recognition: instead of focusing on the dichotomy between motor and non-motor theories, the field would benefit from new hypotheses specifying when and how effector-specific motor simulation may supplement core action recognition processes to accommodate the full variety of action stimuli that humans can recognize.

Keywords: action recognition; motor simulation; working memory.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared that they had no conflict of interest with respect to their authorship or the publication of this article.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
The schematic representation of three different ‘routes’ to action recognition. Core action recognition refers to the automatic, effortless matching of familiar body postures and movements onto a corresponding stored action representation. When core action recognition fails, action recognition may be supplemented by effector-specific motor simulation (see text for detail).
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Results of Experiments 1 and 2 by individual participant and group.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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