Observed effector-independent motor learning by observing

Abstract

Williams A, Gribble PL. Observed effector-independent motor learning by observing. J Neurophysiol 107: 1564 -1570, 2012. First published December 21, 2011 doi:10.1152/jn.00748.2011pelling idea in cognitive neuroscience links motor control and action observation. Recent work supports the idea that a link exists not just between action observation and action planning, but between observation and motor learning. Several studies support the idea that cortical regions that underlie active motor learning also play a role in motor learning by observing. The goal of the present study was to test whether motor learning by observing is effector dependent (as in active motor learning) or effector independent (as in studies of action observation and mirror neurons). Right-handed human subjects observed a video depicting another individual learning to reach to visual targets in a force field (FF). The video showed reaching in a clockwise FF (CWFF) or a counter-clockwise FF (CCWFF), and depicted an individual reaching with the right or left arm. After observation, all subjects were asked to reach in a CWFF, using their right arm. As in our prior studies, subjects who observed a CWFF prior to the CWFF test performed better than subjects who observed a CCWFF. We show here that this effect was seen both when observers watched others reach using their right arm, and when observers watched others learning to reach using the left arm. These results suggest that information about novel forces learned through observation is represented in an effector-independent coordinate frame, and are consistent with the idea that the brain links not only observation and movement, but motor learning as well, through abstract representations of actions.

Embodied cognition and the magical future of interaction design

“…Only if a movement is hard to learn would we predict that marking facilitates projection by enabling dancers to bring to mind movements that are more detailed or precise than they can mentally simulate while lying down. This is consistent with the findings of Cross et al [2009] and Williams and Gribble [2012]. Both found that subjects who simply observed other people performing a dance movement were able to learn that movement comparably to those practicing the movement fullout themselves.…”

Changes in visual and sensory-motor resting-state functional connectivity support motor learning by observing

“…This behavioral difference was seen in the first block of the test FF movements, during which subjects who had observed left FF learning exhibited 40% greater trajectory curvature than control subjects [t(28) ϭ 2.99, P Ͻ 0.03]. This result is consistent with previous observational learning studies (Bernardi et al 2013;Brown et al 2009;Mattar and Gribble 2005;Williams and Gribble 2012).…”

Embodiment, Consciousness, and the Massively Representational Mind

“…A forward model might be indifferent to which limb is involved but contain a pointer back to the source of the command: "Whichever arm you commanded to reach for your hat will not go high enough." (There is some evidence of the existence of functionally specialized neural areas that represent actions in a limb-independent way [Butterfill and Sinigaglia 2012;Cattaneo et al 2010;Chaminade et al 2005;Rijntjes et al, 1999;Williams and Gribble 2012]; granted, this work is not concerned with forward models, or activity of cerebellum, which is thought to be the site of forward models [Grush 2004, 385], but it is at least suggestive.) The relation to CO seems clearer.…”