Adaptation to actions outside the focus of attention – evidence for automatic “mirror” network activation? A Wiggett1, S Tipper2, P Downing1 |
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1School of Psychology, Bangor University, United Kingdom |
| This fMRI study investigated whether areas of the action-observation network are activated when participants are engaged in a task that does not require attention to be paid to the action. Using a repetition suppression paradigm we presented objects that had to be categorized either as garage or kitchen items along with two-frame hand “actions”. In the first frame a hand was presented in a neutral position to the side of the object; in the second frame the hand was almost touching the object either in an action appropriate or inappropriate position. We hypothesized that, in line with behavioural findings, appropriate actions are more attention-grabbing and therefore more likely to be perceived/processed as actions. Therefore, we should see a larger repetition suppression effect for repeated appropriate compared to repeated inappropriate actions in areas that are activated during action observation. A whole-brain random effects analysis for this interaction revealed significant activations in canonical parietal and frontal “mirror” regions. This pattern was also found in individually-defined action- and body-selective ROIs; however these effects failed to reach significance. Overall, our results provide preliminary evidence for activation of “mirror” areas that discriminate appropriate from inappropriate actions even when they are unattended. |
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