Are Automatic Imitation and Spatial Compatibility Mediated by Different Processes?. (11th May 2012)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cooper, Richard P.; Catmur, Caroline; Heyes, Cecilia
• Is Part Of: Cognitive science. Volume 37:Number 4(2013:May)
• Page Start: 605
• Page End: 630
• Publication Date: 2012-05-11
• Subjects: Cognition -- Periodicals; Psycholinguistics -- Periodicals; Artificial intelligence -- Periodicals; 153.05
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1551-6709.2012.01252.x
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0364-0213

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" xml:lang="en"> <title>Abstract</title> <p>Automatic imitation or "imitative compatibility" is thought to be mediated by the mirror neuron system and to be a laboratory model of the motor mimicry that occurs spontaneously in naturalistic social interaction. Imitative compatibility and spatial compatibility effects are known to depend on different stimulus dimensions—body movement topography and relative spatial position. However, it is not yet clear whether these two types of stimulus–response compatibility effect are mediated by the same or different cognitive processes. We present an interactive activation model of imitative and spatial compatibility, based on a dual‐route architecture, which substantiates the view they are mediated by processes of the same kind. The model, which is in many ways a standard application of the interactive activation approach, simulates all key results of a recent study by <xref ref-type="link" rid="b11">Catmur and Heyes (2011)</xref>. Specifically, it captures the difference in the relative size of imitative and spatial compatibility effects; the lack of interaction when the imperative and irrelevant stimuli are presented simultaneously; the relative speed of responses in a quintile analysis when the imperative and irrelevant stimuli are presented simultaneously; and the different time courses of the compatibility effects when the imperative and irrelevant stimuli are presented asynchronously.</p> </abstract>