Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Automatic Processing and Automatic Social Behavior01:28

Automatic Processing and Automatic Social Behavior

111
Automatic processing refers to the cognitive operations that occur without conscious intent or awareness, playing a fundamental role in shaping social cognition and behavior. These processes enable individuals to navigate complex social environments efficiently by relying on mental shortcuts and pre-existing knowledge structures known as schemas. One of the most influential mechanisms underlying automatic processing is priming, which subtly activates mental representations through exposure to...
111
Role of Shaping in Operant Conditioning01:19

Role of Shaping in Operant Conditioning

723
Shaping is a technique used in operant conditioning to train complex behaviors by rewarding successive approximations toward the target behavior. This method is necessary because organisms are unlikely to perform complex behaviors spontaneously. Instead, shaping breaks down the desired behavior into small, manageable steps.
The steps involved in shaping begin with reinforcing any response that resembles the desired behavior. For example, parents might praise a child for picking up one toy. As...
723

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

The neural mechanisms of aligning spatial perspectives.

Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)·2026
Same author

Intrinsic brain network dynamics modulated by neural stimulation to cerebellum.

Network neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)·2026
Same author

Flexibility of Brain Networks May Curtail Cognitive Consequences of Poor Sleep.

Human brain mapping·2025
Same author

Developmental prosopagnosics have normal spatial integration in posterior ventral face-selective regions.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
Same author

In-vivo dendrite injury drives local mitochondrial contraction and dendrite branching.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
Same author

Dendrite injury triggers neuroprotection in Drosophila models of neurodegenerative disease.

Scientific reports·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 16, 2025

Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments
13:00

Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments

Published on: January 23, 2017

10.1K

Top-Down Attention Guidance Shapes Action Encoding in the pSTS.

Daniel A Stehr1, Xiaojue Zhou1, Mariel Tisby1

  • 1Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.

Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
|February 25, 2021
PubMed
Summary

The brain

Keywords:
action observationaction observation networkattentionmultivariate pattern analysisposterior superior temporal sulcus

More Related Videos

Intracortical Inhibition Within the Primary Motor Cortex Can Be Modulated by Changing the Focus of Attention
09:48

Intracortical Inhibition Within the Primary Motor Cortex Can Be Modulated by Changing the Focus of Attention

Published on: September 11, 2017

10.2K
Measuring and Manipulating Functionally Specific Neural Pathways in the Human Motor System with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
09:52

Measuring and Manipulating Functionally Specific Neural Pathways in the Human Motor System with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Published on: February 23, 2020

9.5K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 16, 2025

Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments
13:00

Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments

Published on: January 23, 2017

10.1K
Intracortical Inhibition Within the Primary Motor Cortex Can Be Modulated by Changing the Focus of Attention
09:48

Intracortical Inhibition Within the Primary Motor Cortex Can Be Modulated by Changing the Focus of Attention

Published on: September 11, 2017

10.2K
Measuring and Manipulating Functionally Specific Neural Pathways in the Human Motor System with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
09:52

Measuring and Manipulating Functionally Specific Neural Pathways in the Human Motor System with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Published on: February 23, 2020

9.5K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Neuroimaging
  • Action Observation

Background:

  • The posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) is crucial for understanding observed human actions.
  • Action observation is significantly influenced by observer expectations, highlighting top-down processing.
  • Previous research indicates the action observation network (AON) plays a key role in processing observed actions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how top-down influences, specifically attention, modulate neural activity in the AON during action observation.
  • To determine if different dimensions of action observation (kinematics, goal, identity) are processed in distinct brain regions.
  • To examine the functional connectivity within the AON under varying attentional states.

Main Methods:

  • Used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure brain activity in the AON.
  • Participants observed action vignettes (jumping, crouching) while attending to specific dimensions (kinematics, goal, identity).
  • Analyzed multivariate activation patterns and functional connectivity to decode attentional states and their neural correlates.

Main Results:

  • Decoding accuracy varied by attention instruction in the right posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) and left inferior frontal cortex (IFC).
  • The right pSTS was most accurate in classifying actions when attention was directed to kinematics.
  • Increased functional connectivity was observed between the right pSTS and right IFC when attending to action kinematics.

Conclusions:

  • Attentional state dynamically modulates sensory representations within the pSTS during action observation.
  • The pSTS acts as an integration hub, mediating between top-down expectations and bottom-up perceptual information.
  • Findings support the role of the pSTS in integrating contextual information to refine action perception.