Shared action representations

Principal investigator: Caroline Catmur

Postdoctoral researcher: Lauren Marsh

This was an ESRC-funded project, "From action to interaction: mechanisms underlying the acquisition and control of shared action representations, and their social effects".

Imitation is important for social interaction and learning new skills, but it can also have undesirable effects, for example the copying of antisocial behaviour. Imitation requires shared representations of action: the same action representation is used when we observe someone performing an action, as when we perform that action ourselves. This project aimed to understand how these representations are acquired and controlled.

Outputs:

International workshop on social cognition

Theme issue "Understanding self and other: from origins to disorders", Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B (free online access)

Journal articles (see publications page for more details)

Catmur, C. & Heyes, C. (2019). Mirroring “meaningful” actions: sensorimotor learning modulates imitation of goal-directed actions. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 72(2): 322-34.

Catmur, C., Thompson, E. L., Bairaktari, O., Lind, F. & Bird, G. (2018). Sensorimotor training alters action understanding. Cognition, 171: 10-14.

Marsh, L. E., Bird, G. & Catmur, C. (2016). The imitation game: Effects of social cues on 'imitation' are domain-general in nature. NeuroImage, 139:368-375.

Gleibs, I. H., Wilson, N., Reddy, G. & Catmur, C. (2016). Group dynamics in automatic imitation. PLoS One, 11(9): e0162880.

De Guzman, M. S., Bird, G., Banissy, M. J. & Catmur, C. (2016). Self-other control processes in social cognition: from imitation to empathy. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 371(1686): 20150079.

Catmur, C. (2016). Automatic imitation? Imitative compatibility affects responses at high perceptual load. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 42(4): 530-539.

Catmur, C. (2015). Understanding intentions from actions: direct perception, inference, and the roles of mirror and mentalizing systems. Consciousness and Cognition, 36: 426-433.

Santiesteban, I., Banissy, M. J., Catmur, C. & Bird, G. (2015). Functional lateralization of temporoparietal junction - imitation inhibition, visual perspective-taking and theory of mind. European Journal of Neuroscience, 42(8): 2527-2533.

Hogeveen, J., Obhi, S. S., Banissy, M. J., Santiesteban, I., Press, C., Catmur, C., & Bird, G. (2015). Task-dependent and distinct roles of the temporoparietal junction and inferior frontal cortex in the control of imitation. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 10(7): 1003-1009.

Cavallo, A., Heyes, C., Becchio, C., Bird, G. & Catmur, C. (2014). Timecourse of mirror and counter-mirror effects measured with transcranial magnetic stimulation. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 9(8): 1082-1088.

Catmur, C., Press, C., Cook, R., Bird, G., & Heyes C. (2014). Authors’ response: Mirror neurons: tests and testability. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 37(2): 221-241.

Cook, R., Bird, G., Catmur, C., Press, C., & Heyes, C. (2014). Mirror neurons: from origin to function. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 37(2): 177-192.

Coll, M.-P., Catmur, C., Bird, G., & Press, C. (2014). Crossmodal repetition effects in the mu rhythm indicate tactile mirroring during action observation. Cortex, 63C: 121-131.

Cavallo, A., Catmur, C., Sowden, S., Iani, F., & Becchio, C. (2014). Stopping movements: when others slow us down. European Journal of Neuroscience, 40(5): 2842-2849.

Catmur, C. (2014). Unconvincing support for role of mirror neurons in ‘action understanding’: commentary on Michael et al. (2014). Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 8:553.

Conference proceedings

Catmur, C. (2015). Sensorimotor learning alters action understanding. Paper presented at Social Cognition: from Evolution to Applications workshop, Bangor, 27th August 2015.

Catmur, C. (2015). Sensorimotor learning influences understanding of others’ actions. Paper presented at 38th European Conference on Visual Perception, Liverpool, 26th August 2015.

Marsh, L. E., Bird, G., & Catmur, C. (2014). The effects of group membership and eye contact on automatic imitation and spatial compatibility. Poster presented at Society for Social Neuroscience Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, 13th – 14th November 2014.

Catmur, C. (2014). Effects of sensorimotor training on social cognition. Paper presented at Social Cognition: Origins, Mechanisms and Disorders workshop, Surrey, 28th August 2014.

Dainton, C., Catmur, C., & Marsh, L. E. (2014). Attentional modulation of spatial and imitative compatibility using evaluative pressure. Poster presented at Social Cognition: Origins, Mechanisms and Disorders workshop, Surrey, 28th – 29th August 2014.

Marsh, L. E., Bird, G., & Catmur, C. (2014). The effects of group membership and eye contact on automatic imitation and spatial compatibility. Poster presented at Social Cognition: Origins, Mechanisms and Disorders workshop, Surrey, 28th – 29th August 2014.

Sowden, S., Catmur, C., & Bird, G. (2014). Intact automatic imitation in autism: challenging the Broken Mirror theory. Poster presented at Social Cognition: Origins, Mechanisms and Disorders workshop, Surrey, 28th – 29th August 2014.

Catmur, C. (2014). Imitation without attention: imitative compatibility affects responses at high perceptual load. Paper presented at Experimental Psychology Society meeting, Newcastle, 16th July 2014.

Catmur, C. (2014). Training empathy: improving self-other distinction increases self-reported perspective taking. Poster presented at New Perspectives and Future Directions in Social Neuroscience workshop, Marburg, Germany, 4th - 6th June 2014.

Cavallo, A., Catmur, C., Sowden, S. & Becchio, C. (2013) Inhibiting movements: when others slow us down. Paper presented at the 5th Joint Action Meeting, Berlin, Germany, 28th July 2013.

Cavallo, A., Heyes, C., Becchio, C., Bird, G. & Catmur, C. (2013). Timecourse of mirror and counter-mirror effects measured with TMS. Poster presented at British Neuroscience Association Festival of Neuroscience, London, 7th – 10th April 2013.

Invited talks

Catmur, C. (2016). Learning to be social: low- and high-level effects of sensorimotor training on social cognition. Talk given at University College London, 10th May 2016.

Catmur, C. (2016). Learning to be social: low- and high-level effects of sensorimotor training on social cognition. Talk given at University of Birmingham, 8th March 2016.

Catmur, C. (2016). Learning to be social: low- and high-level effects of sensorimotor training on social cognition. Talk given at University of Kent, 17th February 2016.

Catmur, C. (2015). Learning to be social: multiple effects of sensorimotor training on social cognition. Talk given at Royal Holloway University of London, 25th November 2015.

Catmur, C. (2015). Learning to be social: multiple effects of sensorimotor training on social cognition. Talk given at MRC Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King’s College London, 18th November 2015.

Catmur, C. (2015). Learning to be social: sensorimotor learning, mirror neurons, and social interaction. Talk given at Bournemouth University, 7th October 2015.

Catmur, C. (2015). From sensorimotor learning to action understanding: the role of mirror neurons in social interaction. Talk given at University of Denver, USA, 3rd April 2015.

Catmur, C. (2014). Learning to mirror: the acquisition and control of shared action representations. Talk given at University of Auckland, New Zealand, 9th April 2014.

Catmur, C. (2013). The acquisition and control of neural representations of self and other. Talk given at University of Vienna, Austria, 31st October 2013.