Automatic imitation and spatial compatibility in a key-pressing task

Jiménez, Luís; Recio, Sergio A.; Méndez, Amavia; Lorda, María José; Permuy, Beatriz; Méndez, Cástor

doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2012.07.007

Cited by 23 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…This dissociation between imitation and spatial compatibility is in line with previous behavioral work demonstrating distinctions between imitative and spatial compatibility (Brass et al 2001; Heyes et al 2005; Bertenthal et al 2006b; Catmur and Heyes, 2010; Jiménez et al 2012). However, previous neuroimaging support of these findings has been mixed.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Controlling automatic imitative tendencies: Interactions between mirror neuron and cognitive control systems

et al. 2013

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Humans have an automatic tendency to imitate others. Although several regions commonly observed in social tasks have been shown to be involved in imitation control, there is little work exploring how these regions interact with one another. We used fMRI and dynamic causal modeling to identify imitation-specific control mechanisms and examine functional interactions between regions. Participants performed a pre-specified action (lifting their index or middle finger) in response to videos depicting the same two actions (biological cues) or dots moving with similar trajectories (non-biological cues). On congruent trials, the stimulus and response were similar (e.g. index finger response to index finger or left side dot stimulus), while on incongruent trials the stimulus and response were dissimilar (e.g. index finger response to middle finger or right side dot stimulus). Reaction times were slower on incongruent compared to congruent trials for both biological and non-biological stimuli, replicating previous findings that suggest the automatic imitative or spatially compatible (congruent) response must be controlled on incongruent trials. Neural correlates of the congruency effects were different depending on the cue type. The medial prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate, inferior frontal gyrus pars opercularis (IFGpo) and the left anterior insula were involved specifically in controlling imitation. In addition, the IFGpo was also more active for biological compared to non-biological stimuli, suggesting the region represents the frontal node of the human mirror neuron system (MNS). Effective connectivity analysis exploring the interactions between these regions, suggests a role for the mPFC and ACC in imitative conflict detection and the anterior insula in conflict resolution processes, which may occur through interactions with the frontal node of the MNS. We suggest an extension of the previous models of imitation control involving interactions between imitation-specific and general cognitive control mechanisms.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Controlling automatic imitative tendencies: Interactions between mirror neuron and cognitive control systems

et al. 2013

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“…These results suggest that this imitative modality is involved in affectively guided interactions (Avikainen et al, 2003; Dunphy-Lelii, 2014). Additionally, the associations found between lower error rates in anatomical imitations and higher perspective-taking scores indicate this imitative modality is involved in tasks of an intellectual or cognitive nature (Gleissner et al, 2000; Jiménez et al, 2012; Sudo et al, 2012; Pierpaoli et al, 2014). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamics of Simultaneous and Imitative Bodily Coordination in Trust and Distrust

et al. 2018

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Body synchronization between interacting people involves coordinative movements in time, space and form. The introduction of newer technologies for automated video analysis and motion tracking has considerably improved the accurate measurement of coordination, particularly in temporal and spatial terms. However, the form of interpersonal coordination has been less explored. In the present study we address this gap by exploring the effect of trust on temporal and morphological patterns of interpersonal coordination. We adapted an optical motion-capture system to record spontaneous body movements in pairs of individuals engaged in natural conversations. We conducted two experiments in which we manipulated trust through a breach of expectancy (Study 1: 10 trustful and 10 distrustful participants) and friendship (Study 2: 20 dyads of friends and 20 dyads of strangers). In Study 1, results show the participants' strong, early mirror-like coordination in response to the confederates' breach of trust. In Study 2, imitative coordination tended to be more pronounced in pairs of friends than in pairs of non-friends. Overall, our results show not only that listeners move in reaction to speakers, but also that speakers react to listeners with a chain of dynamic coordination patterns affected by the immediate disposition of, and long-term relationship with, their interlocutors.

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“…Experiment 1 successfully replicates previous findings of intact automatic imitation in a large sample of individuals diagnosed with ASD. However, despite the popularity of automatic imitation paradigms, some forms of these tests have been argued to be unsuitable to test imitation, due to the fact that the RT benefit observed on imitatively compatible trials may not be a product of automatic imitation but rather a product of spatial compatibility [Aicken, Wilson, Williams, & Mon‐Williams, ; Bertenthal, Longo, & Kosobud, ; Jiménez et al, ]. Spatial compatibility effects elicited by the task‐irrelevant spatial properties of task‐relevant stimuli were first described by Simon and coworkers [Simon, , Simon & Rudell, ] who showed that the spatial location of a stimulus (even if that location is task‐irrelevant) facilitates movement responses on the same side of space.…”

Section: Interim Discussion and Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Experiments with typical individuals have overcome these methodological problems by introducing a spatial compatibility control condition to demonstrate the presence of automatic imitation independently of simple and orthogonal spatial compatibility effects [Catmur & Heyes, ; Jiménez et al, ; Sowden & Catmur, ]. Experiment 2 utilizes one of these paradigms in order to re‐examine automatic imitation in ASD.…”

Section: Interim Discussion and Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intact Automatic Imitation and Typical Spatial Compatibility in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Challenging the Broken Mirror Theory

et al. 2015

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A lack of imitative behavior is frequently described as a core feature of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and is consistent with claims of mirror neuron system dysfunction in these individuals. Previous research has questioned this characterization of ASD however, arguing that when tests of automatic imitation are used--which do not require higher-level cognitive processing--imitative behavior is intact or even enhanced in individuals with ASD. In Experiment 1, 60 adult individuals with ASD and a matched Control group completed an automatic imitation task in which they were required to perform an index or a middle finger lift while observing a hand making either the same, or the alternate, finger movement. Both groups demonstrated a significant imitation effect whereby actions were executed faster when preceded by observation of the same action, than when preceded by the alternate action. The magnitude of this "imitation effect" was statistically indistinguishable in the ASD and Control groups. Experiment 2 utilized an improved automatic imitation paradigm to demonstrate that, when automatic imitation effects are isolated from those due to spatial compatibility, increasing autism symptom severity is associated with an increased tendency to imitate. Notably, there was no association between autism symptom severity and spatial compatibility, demonstrating the specificity of the link between ASD symptoms and increased imitation. These results provide evidence against claims of a lack of imitative behavior in ASD, and challenge the "Broken Mirror Theory of Autism."

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Automatic imitation and spatial compatibility in a key-pressing task

Cited by 23 publications

References 26 publications

Controlling automatic imitative tendencies: Interactions between mirror neuron and cognitive control systems

Controlling automatic imitative tendencies: Interactions between mirror neuron and cognitive control systems

Dynamics of Simultaneous and Imitative Bodily Coordination in Trust and Distrust

Intact Automatic Imitation and Typical Spatial Compatibility in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Challenging the Broken Mirror Theory

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