title: Simulating my own or others action plans?--Motor representations, not visual representations are recalled in motor memory.
abstract: Action plans are not generated from scratch for each movement, but features of recently generated plans are recalled for subsequent movements. This study investigated whether the observation of an action is sufficient to trigger plan recall processes. Participant dyads performed an object manipulation task in which one participant transported a plunger from an outer platform to a center platform of different heights (first move). Subsequently, either the same (intra-individual task condition) or the other participant (inter-individual task condition) returned the plunger to the outer platform (return moves). Grasp heights were inversely related to center target height and similar irrespective of direction (first vs. return move) and task condition (intra- vs. inter-individual). Moreover, participants' return move grasp heights were highly correlated with their own, but not with their partners' first move grasp heights. Our findings provide evidence that a simulated action plan resembles a plan of how the observer would execute that action (based on a motor representation) rather than a plan of the actually observed action (based on a visual representation).
authors.affiliation: Neurocognition and Action Research Group, Faculty of Psychology and Sport Sciences, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany ; Research Institute for Cognition and Robotics (CoR-Lab), Bielefeld, Germany ; Center of Excellence Cognitive Interaction Technology (CITEC), Bielefeld, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Seegelke
authors.affiliation: Institute of Movement Science, Department of Sport and Health Science, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Charmayne Mary Lee
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.affiliation: Neurocognition and Action Research Group, Faculty of Psychology and Sport Sciences, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany ; Research Institute for Cognition and Robotics (CoR-Lab), Bielefeld, Germany ; Center of Excellence Cognitive Interaction Technology (CITEC), Bielefeld, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schack
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*