The time course of eye movements during action observation reflects sequence learning
Press, Clare and Kilner, J.M. (2013) The time course of eye movements during action observation reflects sequence learning. NeuroReport 24 (14), pp. 822-826. ISSN 0959-4965.
Abstract
When we observe object-directed actions such as grasping, we make predictive eye movements. However, eye movements are reactive when observing similar actions without objects. This reactivity may reflect a lack of attribution of intention to observed actors when they perform actions without 'goals'. Alternatively, it may simply signal that there is no cue present that has been predictive of the subsequent trajectory in the observer's experience. To test this hypothesis, the present study investigated how the time course of eye movements changes as a function of visual experience of predictable, but arbitrary, actions without objects. Participants observed a point-light display of a model performing sequential finger actions in a serial reaction time task. Eye movements became less reactive across blocks. In addition, participants who exhibited more predictive eye movements subsequently demonstrated greater learning when required either to execute, or to recognize, the sequence. No measures were influenced by whether participants had been instructed that the observed movements were human or lever generated. The present data indicate that eye movements when observing actions without objects reflect the extent to which the trajectory can be predicted through experience. The findings are discussed with reference to the implications for the mechanisms supporting perception of actions both with and without objects as well as those mediating inanimate object processing.
Metadata
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Keyword(s) / Subject(s): | action observation, eye movements, learning, point light, prediction, serial reaction time task |
| School: | Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Science > School of Psychological Sciences |
| Research Centres and Institutes: | Brain and Cognitive Development, Centre for (CBCD) |
| Depositing User: | Administrator |
| Date Deposited: | 02 Sep 2013 09:22 |
| Last Modified: | 02 Aug 2023 17:07 |
| URI: | https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/8074 |
Statistics
Additional statistics are available via IRStats2.
Archive Staff Only (login required)
 |
Edit/View Item |