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Published on: March 28, 2018
Grasping beer mugs: on the dynamics of alignment effects induced by handled objects
Daniel N Bub1, Michael E J Masson
1Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, PO Box 3050 STN CSC, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 3P5, Canada. dbub@uvic.ca
Summary
Objects you hold can automatically influence your actions. When a handled object aligns with your response hand, reaction times are faster for tasks involving reaching and grasping.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Human Motor Control
- Perception-Action Coupling
Background:
- Handled objects can automatically influence sensorimotor representations.
- The interaction between object interaction and motor responses is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate automatic spatial alignment effects evoked by handled objects.
- To determine if object alignment influences response selection in motor tasks.
Main Methods:
- Participants responded to color cues presented with irrelevant handled objects.
- Objects were either aligned or misaligned with the response hand.
- Tasks involved reach-and-grasp responses or left-right key presses.
Main Results:
- Responses were faster when the handled object aligned with the response hand.
- Alignment effects were specific to reach-and-grasp tasks, not key presses.
- These effects became more pronounced over time and with delayed cues.
Conclusions:
- Handled objects exert automatic spatial influences on motor responses.
- This influence is mediated by the modulation of sensorimotor representations.
- Object interaction requires resolving neural competition for action selection.
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