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Altering sensorimotor simulation impacts early stages of facial expression processing depending on individual
Arianna Schiano Lomoriello1, Antonio Maffei2, Sabrina Brigadoi3
1Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Section for Cognitive Systems, DTU Compute, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
Brain and Cognition
|January 17, 2021
Summary
Facial mimicry, a form of sensorimotor simulation, enhances early visual processing of facial expressions, particularly in individuals with lower alexithymia. Blocking mimicry revealed compensatory visual processing in this group.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Social Neuroscience
Background:
- Simulation models propose interaction between posterior visual areas and sensorimotor simulation for facial expression processing.
- Facial mimicry, a sensorimotor simulation, may enhance early visual processing of facial expressions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how sensorimotor simulation influences early face processing stages.
- To examine the relationship between facial mimicry, alexithymic traits, and face processing.
- To test if individuals with high alexithymia use sensorimotor simulation less.
Main Methods:
- Event-related potentials (ERP) were recorded, focusing on P1 and N170 components.
- Participants performed a facial expression discrimination task with and without blocked facial mimicry.
- A control condition involved animal discrimination to assess task specificity.
Main Results:
- Individuals with lower alexithymia showed greater P1 amplitude modulation with mimicry for facial expressions, unlike those with high alexithymia.
- No significant modulation of the N170 component was observed across conditions.
- Behavioral task performance did not differ significantly between mimicry conditions.
Conclusions:
- P1 modulation in lower alexithymia individuals suggests compensatory visual processing when sensorimotor simulation is interfered with.
- Findings provide preliminary support for sensorimotor simulation models of facial expression processing.
- Alexithymia influences the reliance on and effectiveness of sensorimotor simulation in face perception.
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