Betweenperson effects on attention and action Jo

Authors: Spencer J Hayes Steve Hansen Digby Elliott

Publish Date: 2009/07/15

Volume: 74, Issue: 3, Pages: 302-312

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Abstract

Previous study indicates that target–target inhibition of return IOR is not restricted to a single nervous system Specifically watching another person perform a goaldirected aiming movement engages similar inhibitory processes on a subsequent aiming attempt as if having performed the preceding movement oneself This betweenperson effect has been attributed to the mirror neuron system In the study reported here we replicated this finding and examined the relative importance of automatic stimulus alerting events and action–observation by dissociating these two influences This was done by having two people alternately perform sets of two aiming trials to the same equally probable targets Under some experimental conditions one or both of the performers moved to a nonilluminated target In this way we dissociated the stimulus and observed event under some betweenperson conditions Although IOR was greatest when the stimulus and observed events were compatible both contributed to the betweenperson inhibitory processes slowing the responses Experiment 1 The impact of observing another person perform an aiming movement appears to have more to do with realizing a particular spatial goal than seeing the biological motion associated with achieving that goal Experiment 2 Findings that both the illumination of a visual target signal and the observation of another person’s action engage similar attention–action processes are consistent with actionbased accounts of visual selective attention

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