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Updated: May 10, 2026
12:33
Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation
Published on: December 31, 2013
Cortical mechanisms of pretense observation
Eric D Smith1, Zoë A Englander, Angeline S Lillard
1Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4400, USA. eric.smith@virginia.edu
Social Neuroscience
|June 27, 2013
Summary
Observing pretend play activates brain regions for mentalizing. Substitute object pretense also engages motor control areas, especially in those with higher fantasy predisposition.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Pretend play is a universal developmental milestone.
- Neural mechanisms underlying pretend play observation are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate neural activation patterns during observation of different types of pretense.
- To explore the relationship between fantasy predisposition and brain activity during pretense observation.
Main Methods:
- fMRI study comparing brain activity during observation of real acts versus pretend acts (substitute objects and pantomime).
- Analysis included contrasts between different pretense types and their association with fantasy predisposition.
Main Results:
- Pretense observation, compared to real acts, activated mentalizing regions.
- Substitute object pretense (high/low likelihood) uniquely activated the superior parietal lobule, beyond theory of mind regions.
- Individuals with high fantasy predisposition showed distinct neural patterns when observing high-likelihood pretense compared to real acts.
Conclusions:
- Observing pretense engages mentalizing networks and, for substitute object pretense, motor control regions.
- Fantasy predisposition influences the neural representation of pretense.
- Future research should examine the interplay of fantasy predisposition and experience in the neural basis of pretense.
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