Action-space coding in social contexts.

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Social Neuroscience
• Human Behaviour

Background:

• Spatial representation is crucial for navigation and interaction.
• The influence of social context on individual spatial coding is not fully understood.
• The Simon task is a common paradigm for studying spatial attention and response selection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how performing a spatial task with another agent affects spatial representation.
• To determine if the number of shared responses influences the use of different reference frames.
• To explore the interplay between social context and task demands in spatial coding.

Main Methods:

• Two behavioral experiments using a modified Simon task with stimuli in four horizontal locations.
• Experiment 1: Participants performed a go/no-go Simon task with a co-actor, each responsible for one response.
• Experiment 2: Participants performed a two-choice Simon task with a co-actor, each responsible for two responses.

Main Results:

• When sharing one response, participants coded stimulus position relative to the screen center, suggesting co-actor's position was a reference frame.
• When sharing two responses, social context had no effect; spatial coding used multiple reference frames, similar to individual performance.
• Task demands significantly modulate the impact of social presence on spatial representation.

Conclusions:

• Social context, specifically the presence and role of a co-actor, can alter spatial coding strategies.
• The degree of task interdependence (shared vs. individual response control) dictates whether social information influences spatial representation.
• Findings highlight the dynamic interaction between social factors and task features in shaping cognitive processes.