Gerson et al., 2014:
Short term motor training, but not observational training – neurocognitive
mechanisms of action processing in infants.
- Examined effect of active versus observational experience on the neural
correlates of action perception in 10-month-olds
- Found more motor activity to the effects of actively learned actions than to
actions they observed
- Overall, active experience is critical to action perception on a neural level
- Findings can help shed light on the developmental origins of shared neural
representations
Motor experience is effective variable to explore action processing as perceived
actions is argued to base on both behaviour ( such as action understanding) and
neural ( activation of the motor system) components. Whilst others emphasis on the
role of visual experience with perceived actions.
Therefore, Gerson et al 2014 explored whether motor experience is critical to motor
system activation during perception of actions performed by others in infants with
limited experience of motor actions.
- Infants received motor or visual training with novel actions
- 10-month-old infants received active training with a motorically unfamiliar
action resulted in a distinct sound effect
- Also received observational experience with second unfamiliar action
- Gerson et al assessed infants neural motor activity via
electroencephalography (EEG) whilst they listen to the sounds associated
with actions relative to a novel sound.
Findings:
- Greater decrease in my power to sounds associated with the motorically
learned actions than to those associated with observed actions that the
infants never produced.
- Effect was directly related to individual difference in the degree of motor
learning via motor trainings, therefore suggesting a unique effect of active
experience on the neural correlates of action perception.
Background :
- Action and perception of goal directed actions are connected via shared
neural representations and this connections enables to use action experience
to recognise and predict goals of other actions.
- This identifying mechanisms of these shared representations is known as
mirror systems
- Mirror systems suggests that similar brain regions or neurons ( measured via
fMRI, EEG, single cell recording or other neuroimaging measures) are active
when performing an action and perceiving this action (such as sound or effect
of that action)
, Studies previously have explored the effect of motor experience on action
perception, independent of any visual experience such as casile and giese study
where participants were trained to perform novel movement whilst blindfolded. Thier
accuracy identifying this improved after motor training despite lack of visual
information during training.
- Individual differences in visual recognition performance correlated with
participants accurate performance of the newly learned action during the
blindfolded training.
- Other studies explored the brain activation during observation of dance moves
that proof dancer previously performed to relatives to which they had visual
familiarity but no motor experience- studies have found increase activity in the
premotor, parietal, and cerebellar activity for those actions within dancers’
own experiences relative to the visually.
- Increase in premotor activity when trained novel movement
- Similar with motor activation and activation of larger mentalizing brain
networks for chopstick use, handwriting or sports etc.
- Other research suggests comparable or increased motor activity to motorically
unfamiliar actions.
- This developmental applications are effective as it looks at effects of
experience on neural activation of the motor system as infants have more
limited repertoire of experience on which to draw.
Behavioural and neuroimaging studies are helpful to explore development of infants
within various components of cognition and communication or general social
development. For instance, studies before having examined the role of active
experience on action perception and in intervention studies, infants are trained to
perform novel actions and their recognition of the goal of these actions is then
assessed.
- Three-month-olds infants who were trained to perform reaction actions using
the Velcro mittens but not the untrained infants recognised the goal of
reaction action .
- Separate studies have also explored contrasts with action with observational
experience, when three old month infants were given active vs observational
training and only those who received the active experience benefitted training.
- Similar; 10-month-olds benefited from active not observational training with
can pulling actions- or cloth pulling.
- Therefore, investigating the role of motor, relative to visual experience is
critical for understanding the role that motor system plays in action perception.
Neural measures to assess the effects of active experience on the motor regions of
the infant brain. Most common measure of motor regions in infants’ brain is the “ mu-
rhythm” which measured via electroencephalograph .
- Both infant and adults, reduced power relative to a baseline conditions in the
alpha frequency bands been found over motor regions of the brain when
individuals perform and observe goal directed actions.
Short term motor training, but not observational training – neurocognitive
mechanisms of action processing in infants.
- Examined effect of active versus observational experience on the neural
correlates of action perception in 10-month-olds
- Found more motor activity to the effects of actively learned actions than to
actions they observed
- Overall, active experience is critical to action perception on a neural level
- Findings can help shed light on the developmental origins of shared neural
representations
Motor experience is effective variable to explore action processing as perceived
actions is argued to base on both behaviour ( such as action understanding) and
neural ( activation of the motor system) components. Whilst others emphasis on the
role of visual experience with perceived actions.
Therefore, Gerson et al 2014 explored whether motor experience is critical to motor
system activation during perception of actions performed by others in infants with
limited experience of motor actions.
- Infants received motor or visual training with novel actions
- 10-month-old infants received active training with a motorically unfamiliar
action resulted in a distinct sound effect
- Also received observational experience with second unfamiliar action
- Gerson et al assessed infants neural motor activity via
electroencephalography (EEG) whilst they listen to the sounds associated
with actions relative to a novel sound.
Findings:
- Greater decrease in my power to sounds associated with the motorically
learned actions than to those associated with observed actions that the
infants never produced.
- Effect was directly related to individual difference in the degree of motor
learning via motor trainings, therefore suggesting a unique effect of active
experience on the neural correlates of action perception.
Background :
- Action and perception of goal directed actions are connected via shared
neural representations and this connections enables to use action experience
to recognise and predict goals of other actions.
- This identifying mechanisms of these shared representations is known as
mirror systems
- Mirror systems suggests that similar brain regions or neurons ( measured via
fMRI, EEG, single cell recording or other neuroimaging measures) are active
when performing an action and perceiving this action (such as sound or effect
of that action)
, Studies previously have explored the effect of motor experience on action
perception, independent of any visual experience such as casile and giese study
where participants were trained to perform novel movement whilst blindfolded. Thier
accuracy identifying this improved after motor training despite lack of visual
information during training.
- Individual differences in visual recognition performance correlated with
participants accurate performance of the newly learned action during the
blindfolded training.
- Other studies explored the brain activation during observation of dance moves
that proof dancer previously performed to relatives to which they had visual
familiarity but no motor experience- studies have found increase activity in the
premotor, parietal, and cerebellar activity for those actions within dancers’
own experiences relative to the visually.
- Increase in premotor activity when trained novel movement
- Similar with motor activation and activation of larger mentalizing brain
networks for chopstick use, handwriting or sports etc.
- Other research suggests comparable or increased motor activity to motorically
unfamiliar actions.
- This developmental applications are effective as it looks at effects of
experience on neural activation of the motor system as infants have more
limited repertoire of experience on which to draw.
Behavioural and neuroimaging studies are helpful to explore development of infants
within various components of cognition and communication or general social
development. For instance, studies before having examined the role of active
experience on action perception and in intervention studies, infants are trained to
perform novel actions and their recognition of the goal of these actions is then
assessed.
- Three-month-olds infants who were trained to perform reaction actions using
the Velcro mittens but not the untrained infants recognised the goal of
reaction action .
- Separate studies have also explored contrasts with action with observational
experience, when three old month infants were given active vs observational
training and only those who received the active experience benefitted training.
- Similar; 10-month-olds benefited from active not observational training with
can pulling actions- or cloth pulling.
- Therefore, investigating the role of motor, relative to visual experience is
critical for understanding the role that motor system plays in action perception.
Neural measures to assess the effects of active experience on the motor regions of
the infant brain. Most common measure of motor regions in infants’ brain is the “ mu-
rhythm” which measured via electroencephalograph .
- Both infant and adults, reduced power relative to a baseline conditions in the
alpha frequency bands been found over motor regions of the brain when
individuals perform and observe goal directed actions.
