title: ERPs Differentially Reflect Automatic and Deliberate Processing of the Functional Manipulability of Objects.
abstract: It is known that the functional properties of an object can interact with perceptual, cognitive, and motor processes. Previously we have found that a between-subjects manipulation of judgment instructions resulted in different manipulability-related memory biases in an incidental memory test. To better understand this effect we recorded electroencephalography (EEG) while participants made judgments about images of objects that were either high or low in functional manipulability (e.g., hammer vs. ladder). Using a between-subjects design, participants judged whether they had seen the object recently (Personal Experience), or could manipulate the object using their hand (Functionality). We focused on the P300 and slow-wave event-related potentials (ERPs) as reflections of attentional allocation. In both groups, we observed higher P300 and slow wave amplitudes for high-manipulability objects at electrodes Pz and C3. As P300 is thought to reflect bottom-up attentional processes, this may suggest that the processing of high-manipulability objects recruited more attentional resources. Additionally, the P300 effect was greater in the Functionality group. A more complex pattern was observed at electrode C3 during slow wave: processing the high-manipulability objects in the Functionality instruction evoked a more positive slow wave than in the other three conditions, likely related to motor simulation processes. These data provide neural evidence that effects of manipulability on stimulus processing are further mediated by automatic vs. deliberate motor-related processing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of AlbertaEdmonton, AB, Canada; Department of Psychology, Boston CollegeChestnut Hill, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Madan
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta Edmonton, AB, Canada.
authors.forename: Yvonne Y
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of AlbertaEdmonton, AB, Canada; Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of AlbertaEdmonton, AB, Canada.
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Singhal
keywords: embodied cognition; manipulability; motor processing; semantic knowledge; tool use