Perceiving by proxy: effect-based action control with unperceivable effects.
Anticipations of future sensory events have the potential of priming motor actions that would typically cause these events. Such effect anticipations are generally assumed to rely on previous physical experiences of the contingency of own actions and their ensuing effects. Here we propose that merely imagined action effects may influence behaviour similarly as physically experienced action effects do. Three experiments in the response-effect compatibility paradigm show that the mere knowledge of action-effect contingencies is indeed sufficient to incorporate these effects into action control even if the effects are never experienced as causally linked to own actions. The experiments further highlight constraints for this mechanism which seems to be rather effortful and to depend on explicit intentions.
Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg, Department of Psychology III, Röntgenring 11, 97070 Würzburg, Germany. Electronic address: roland.pfister@psychologie.uni-wuerzburg.de.
Roland
R
Pfister
Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg, Department of Psychology III, Röntgenring 11, 97070 Würzburg, Germany.
Christina U
CU
Pfeuffer
Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg, Department of Psychology III, Röntgenring 11, 97070 Würzburg, Germany.
Wilfried
W
Kunde
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination / Q000502:physiology*; D033182:Intention; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
Action effects; Empathy; Ideomotor theory; Imagery; Instruction; Sensory anticipations