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Updated: Jul 13, 2026
09:25
Detecting Pre-Stimulus Source-Level Effects on Object Perception with Magnetoencephalography
Published on: July 26, 2019
Perceptual resonance: action-induced modulation of perception
Simone Schütz-Bosbach1, Wolfgang Prinz
1Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Psychology, Leipzig, Germany. bosbach@cbs.mpg.de
Trends in Cognitive Sciences
|July 17, 2007
Summary
Action influences perception, suggesting a two-way street in social cognition. Self-generated actions prime perception, potentially explaining empathy and social interaction through perceptual resonance, not just motor resonance.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Social Psychology
- Action Perception
Background:
- Current social cognition theories emphasize perception's influence on action (e.g., mirroring).
- These theories often overlook the actor's perspective and the impact of self-generated actions.
- Understanding social interactions requires considering the bi-directional relationship between perception and action.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review evidence on how self-generated actions affect perceptual judgments.
- To propose that action production primes perception, influencing social cognition.
- To argue for the primacy of perceptual resonance over motor resonance in empathy and social interaction.
Main Methods:
- Review of empirical evidence on action's effect on perception.
- Theoretical analysis of social cognition models.
- Conceptual framework proposing perceptual priming by action.
Main Results:
- Empirical data support the influence of self-generated action on perceptual judgments.
- Action production appears to prime perception, enhancing sensitivity to related actions.
- This priming effect suggests a mechanism for social understanding.
Conclusions:
- The actor's perspective is crucial for a complete understanding of social cognition.
- Perceptual resonance, driven by action-primed perception, may be key to empathy.
- Successful social interactions might depend more on perceptual resonance than motor resonance.
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