Cognition, Psychology, psychopathology, psychiatry, Psychologie, psychopathologie, psychiatrie, Sciences biologiques et medicales, Biological and medical sciences, Sciences biologiques fondamentales et appliquees. Psychologie, Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology, Psychologie. Psychophysiologie, Psychology. Psychophysiology, Niveaux d'activité. Psychomotricité, Activity levels. Psychomotricity, Activités psychomotrices, Psychomotor activities, Psychologie. Psychanalyse. Psychiatrie, Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry, Cognition, Cognición, Encéphale, Encephalon, Encéfalo, Motricité, Motricity, Motricidad, Système nerveux central, Central nervous system, Sistema nervioso central, Action, Acción, Cinématique, Kinematics, Cinemática, Etude expérimentale, Experimental study, Estudio experimental, Homme, Human, Hombre, Ion, Ions, Ión, Membre supérieur, Upper limb, Miembro superior, Mouvement corporel, Body movement, Movimiento corporal, Mouvement orienté, Goal directed movement, Movimiento orientado, Neurone miroir, Mirror neuron, Neurona espejo, Observation, Observación, Préhension, Gripping, Prension, Action observation, Mirror neurons, Prehension, and Reaching

Previous studies have demonstrated that the observation of action can modulate motor performance. This literature has focused on manipulating the observed goal of the action, rather than examining whether action observation effects could be elicited by changing observed kinematics alone. In the study presented here, observed reach trajectory kinematics unrelated to the goal of the action were manipulated in order to examine whether observed movement kinematics alone could influence the action of the observer. Participants observed an experimenter grasp a target object using either a normal or an exaggeratedly high reaching action (as though reaching over an invisible obstacle). When participants observed the experimenter perform actions with a high reach trajectory, their own movements took on aspects of the observed action, showing greater wrist height throughout their reaching trajectory than under conditions in which they observed normal reaching actions. The data are discussed in relation to previous findings which suggest that kinematic aspects of observed movements can prime action through kinematic or intention based matching processes.

Cognition, Psychology, psychopathology, psychiatry, Psychologie, psychopathologie, psychiatrie, Sciences biologiques et medicales, Biological and medical sciences, Sciences biologiques fondamentales et appliquees. Psychologie, Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology, Psychologie. Psychophysiologie, Psychology. Psychophysiology, Niveaux d'activité. Psychomotricité, Activity levels. Psychomotricity, Activités psychomotrices, Psychomotor activities, Psychologie. Psychanalyse. Psychiatrie, Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry, Cognition, Cognición, Encéphale, Encephalon, Encéfalo, Motricité, Motricity, Motricidad, Système nerveux central, Central nervous system, Sistema nervioso central, Traitement, Treatment, Tratamiento, Action, Acción, Dynamomètre, Dynamometer, Dinamómetro, Effet amorçage, Priming effect, Efecto priming, Etude expérimentale, Experimental study, Estudio experimental, Force, Fuerza, Homme, Human, Hombre, Neurone miroir, Mirror neuron, Neurona espejo, Observation, Observación, Préhension, Gripping, Prension, Rééducation, Reeducation, Reeducación, Action observation, Grip force, Mirror neurons, Priming, and Rehabilitation

Research shows that action observation can prime execution. Evidence for this comes from experiments that show that action observation influenced temporal (e.g., speed) or spatial (e.g., peak grasp aperture or trajectory) aspects of executed movement. In the paper presented here, we for the first time show that observation can also prime executed action force. Following observation of force actions, participants executed grip-force responses using a dynamometer, and the data showed that their force was modulated by the condition observed. The findings of the study are discussed in terms of a likely cause of the force modulation effect and potential uses that the effect may have for strength rehabilitation.

Cognition, Cognición, Encéphale, Encephalon, Encéfalo, Motricité, Motricity, Motricidad, Système nerveux central, Central nervous system, Sistema nervioso central, Action, Acción, Cinématique, Kinematics, Cinemática, Etude expérimentale, Experimental study, Estudio experimental, Homme, Human, Hombre, Ion, Ions, Ión, Membre supérieur, Upper limb, Miembro superior, Mouvement corporel, Body movement, Movimiento corporal, Mouvement orienté, Goal directed movement, Movimiento orientado, Neurone miroir, Mirror neuron, Neurona espejo, Observation, Observación, Préhension, Gripping, Prension, Action observation, Mirror neurons, Prehension, Reaching, Sciences biologiques et medicales, Biological and medical sciences, Sciences biologiques fondamentales et appliquees. Psychologie, Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology, Psychologie. Psychophysiologie, Psychology. Psychophysiology, Niveaux d'activité. Psychomotricité, Activity levels. Psychomotricity, Activités psychomotrices, Psychomotor activities, Psychologie. Psychanalyse. Psychiatrie, Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry, Psychology, psychopathology, psychiatry, and Psychologie, psychopathologie, psychiatrie

Previous studies have demonstrated that the observation of action can modulate motor performance. This literature has focused on manipulating the observed goal of the action, rather than examining whether action observation effects could be elicited by changing observed kinematics alone. In the study presented here, observed reach trajectory kinematics unrelated to the goal of the action were manipulated in order to examine whether observed movement kinematics alone could influence the action of the observer. Participants observed an experimenter grasp a target object using either a normal or an exaggeratedly high reaching action (as though reaching over an invisible obstacle). When participants observed the experimenter perform actions with a high reach trajectory, their own movements took on aspects of the observed action, showing greater wrist height throughout their reaching trajectory than under conditions in which they observed normal reaching actions. The data are discussed in relation to previous findings which suggest that kinematic aspects of observed movements can prime action through kinematic or intention based matching processes.

Cognition, Cognición, Encéphale, Encephalon, Encéfalo, Motricité, Motricity, Motricidad, Système nerveux central, Central nervous system, Sistema nervioso central, Traitement, Treatment, Tratamiento, Action, Acción, Dynamomètre, Dynamometer, Dinamómetro, Effet amorçage, Priming effect, Efecto priming, Etude expérimentale, Experimental study, Estudio experimental, Force, Fuerza, Homme, Human, Hombre, Neurone miroir, Mirror neuron, Neurona espejo, Observation, Observación, Préhension, Gripping, Prension, Rééducation, Reeducation, Reeducación, Action observation, Grip force, Mirror neurons, Priming, Rehabilitation, Sciences biologiques et medicales, Biological and medical sciences, Sciences biologiques fondamentales et appliquees. Psychologie, Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology, Psychologie. Psychophysiologie, Psychology. Psychophysiology, Niveaux d'activité. Psychomotricité, Activity levels. Psychomotricity, Activités psychomotrices, Psychomotor activities, Psychologie. Psychanalyse. Psychiatrie, Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry, Psychology, psychopathology, psychiatry, and Psychologie, psychopathologie, psychiatrie

Research shows that action observation can prime execution. Evidence for this comes from experiments that show that action observation influenced temporal (e.g., speed) or spatial (e.g., peak grasp aperture or trajectory) aspects of executed movement. In the paper presented here, we for the first time show that observation can also prime executed action force. Following observation of force actions, participants executed grip-force responses using a dynamometer, and the data showed that their force was modulated by the condition observed. The findings of the study are discussed in terms of a likely cause of the force modulation effect and potential uses that the effect may have for strength rehabilitation.