[Implicit Effects of Other's Actions on One's Own Actions in Sports]

Motor contagions are implicit effects of observed actions performed by another individual on one's own actions. There are two types of motor contagions. First, action-imitative contagions are induced simply by action observation and cause one's action to become similar to the observed action. Second, prediction error-induced contagions are induced only when the observation is accompanied by prediction errors- differences between the actions one observes and those he/she predicts. The change in his or her action depends on the prediction error. Based on the review of these two types of motor contagions in the literature, including the author's own studies, this article will further discuss possible neural mechanisms underlying them and how these motor contagions implicitly affect athletes during performance.