Prediction error induced motor contagions in human behaviors

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Motor Control
• Human Action Observation

Background:

• Motor contagions are typically understood as implicit imitation triggered by observing actions.
• Previous research suggests action observation alone leads to behavioral similarity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of prediction errors in modulating motor contagions.
• To differentiate the effects of action observation versus action prediction on motor behavior.

Main Methods:

• Two experiments were conducted involving whole-body baseball pitching and simple arm reaching tasks.
• Participants observed actions under conditions with and without prediction errors.

Main Results:

• In the absence of prediction errors, observed actions led to participants' actions becoming similar (typical motor contagion).
• In the presence of prediction errors, participants' actions diverged from the observed actions.
• Distinct motor contagion effects were observed depending on the presence or absence of prediction errors.

Conclusions:

• Action observation alone induces similarity, a known motor contagion.
• Prediction errors during action observation trigger a novel, divergent motor contagion.
• Both action observation and action prediction significantly influence human motor responses.