SCALab, UMR CNRS 9193, Department of Psychology, University of Lille, Lille, France.
SCALab, UMR CNRS 9193, Department of Psychology, University of Lille, Lille, France.
Neuropsychologia. 2018 Jun;114:231-242. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.04.026. Epub 2018 Apr 27.
Action simulation is a cognitive process that mentally simulates a motor act without performing it in the true external world. Simulation mechanisms play a key role in perceiving, feeling and understanding actions executed by others. However, very little is known about the process dynamics because of the absence of a behavioral tool to probe directly the action simulation process as it unfolds. Twenty-seven healthy adults were required to hold a force sensor in a relaxed pinch-grip while viewing action videos of different intensities: wait (null); touch (low); move (medium); crush (high). When contrasting the variations in grip force (GFv) across conditions, results indicated that GFv started to increase and peaked respectively 200 and 400 ms after the moment of effector-object contact. In the wait condition, GFv remained flat throughout the trial confirming an absence of simulation engagement. Peak GFv was greater for the high and medium than for the low intensity videos suggesting greater brain activity overflow to the peripheral motor system when simulating more effortful body movements. These effects were negatively correlated with the motor imagery abilities of the participants, with greater GFv in the poor imagers as determined by the Movement Imagery Questionnaire. Our results confirm the possibility of using a non-invasive grip force sensor to detect not only when individuals are cognitively engaged in action simulation but also to reveal the dynamics of the process. With various sets of videos, this paradigm offers new perspectives in the study of action simulation and its role in human cognition.
动作模拟是一种认知过程，它在真实的外部世界中不进行动作就能在心理上模拟一个动作。模拟机制在感知、感受和理解他人执行的动作方面起着关键作用。然而，由于缺乏一种行为工具来直接探测动作模拟过程的展开，因此对该过程的动态了解甚少。要求 27 名健康成年人在放松的捏夹中握住力传感器，同时观看不同强度的动作视频：等待（null）；触摸（low）；移动（medium）；挤压（high）。当对比不同条件下的握力变化（GFv）时，结果表明，GFv 在效应器-物体接触后的 200 和 400ms 分别开始增加和达到峰值。在等待条件下，GFv 在整个试验过程中保持平稳，这证实了没有进行模拟参与。高和中强度视频的峰值 GFv 大于低强度视频，这表明在模拟更费力的身体运动时，大脑活动更多地溢出到外周运动系统。这些效应与参与者的运动意象能力呈负相关，运动意象问卷（Movement Imagery Questionnaire）测试得分较低的参与者的 GFv 更大。我们的结果证实了使用非侵入性的握力传感器不仅可以检测到个体何时在认知上参与动作模拟，还可以揭示该过程的动态。通过各种视频集，这种范式为动作模拟及其在人类认知中的作用的研究提供了新的视角。
