TY  - JOUR
A1  - Nazir, Tatjana A.
A1  - Hrycyk, Lianna
A1  - Moreau, Quentin
A1  - Frak, Victor
A1  - Cheylus, Anne
A1  - Ott, Laurent
A1  - Lindemann, Oliver
A1  - Fischer, Martin H.
A1  - Paulignan, Yves
A1  - Delevoye-Turrell, Yvonne
T1  - A simple technique to study embodied language processes
BT  - the grip force sensor
JF  - Behavior research methods : a journal of the Psychonomic Society
N2  - Research in cognitive neuroscience has shown that brain structures serving perceptual, emotional, and motor processes are also recruited during the understanding of language when it refers to emotion, perception, and action. However, the exact linguistic and extralinguistic conditions under which such language-induced activity in modality-specific cortex is triggered are not yet well understood. The purpose of this study is to introduce a simple experimental technique that allows for the online measure of language-induced activity in motor structures of the brain. This technique consists in the use of a grip force sensor that captures subtle grip force variations while participants listen to words and sentences. Since grip force reflects activity in motor brain structures, the continuous monitoring of force fluctuations provides a fine-grained estimation of motor activity across time. In other terms, this method allows for both localization of the source of language-induced activity to motor brain structures and high temporal resolution of the recorded data. To facilitate comparison of the data to be collected with this tool, we present two experiments that describe in detail the technical setup, the nature of the recorded data, and the analyses (including justification about the data filtering and artifact rejection) that we applied. We also discuss how the tool could be used in other domains of behavioral research.
KW  - Grip-force sensor
KW  - Embodiment
KW  - Language
KW  - Motor system
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-015-0696-7
SN  - 1554-351X
SN  - 1554-3528
VL  - 49
SP  - 61
EP  - 73
PB  - Springer
CY  - New York
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Miklashevsky, Alex
A1  - Fischer, Martin H.
A1  - Lindemann, Oliver
T1  - Spatial-numerical associations without a motor response? Grip force says ‘Yes’
JF  - Acta Psychologica
N2  - In numerical processing, the functional role of Spatial-Numerical Associations (SNAs, such as the association of smaller numbers with left space and larger numbers with right space, the Mental Number Line hypothesis) is debated. Most studies demonstrate SNAs with lateralized responses, and there is little evidence that SNAs appear when no response is required. We recorded passive holding grip forces in no-go trials during number processing. In Experiment 1, participants performed a surface numerical decision task (“Is it a number or a letter?”). In Experiment 2, we used a deeper semantic task (“Is this number larger or smaller than five?”). Despite instruction to keep their grip force constant, participants' spontaneous grip force changed in both experiments: Smaller numbers led to larger force increase in the left than in the right hand in the numerical decision task (500–700 ms after stimulus onset). In the semantic task, smaller numbers again led to larger force increase in the left hand, and larger numbers increased the right-hand holding force. This effect appeared earlier (180 ms) and lasted longer (until 580 ms after stimulus onset). This is the first demonstration of SNAs with passive holding force. Our result suggests that (1) explicit motor response is not a prerequisite for SNAs to appear, and (2) the timing and strength of SNAs are task-dependent. (216 words).
KW  - SNARC
KW  - Mental number line
KW  - Number processing
KW  - Embodied cognition
KW  - Grip force
KW  - Motor system
Y1  - 2022
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103791
SN  - 1873-6297
VL  - 231
SP  - 1
EP  - 17
PB  - Elsevier
CY  - Amsterdam
ER  - 
TY  - GEN
A1  - Miklashevsky, Alex
A1  - Fischer, Martin H.
A1  - Lindemann, Oliver
T1  - Spatial-numerical associations without a motor response? Grip force says ‘Yes’
T2  - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe
N2  - In numerical processing, the functional role of Spatial-Numerical Associations (SNAs, such as the association of smaller numbers with left space and larger numbers with right space, the Mental Number Line hypothesis) is debated. Most studies demonstrate SNAs with lateralized responses, and there is little evidence that SNAs appear when no response is required. We recorded passive holding grip forces in no-go trials during number processing. In Experiment 1, participants performed a surface numerical decision task (“Is it a number or a letter?”). In Experiment 2, we used a deeper semantic task (“Is this number larger or smaller than five?”). Despite instruction to keep their grip force constant, participants' spontaneous grip force changed in both experiments: Smaller numbers led to larger force increase in the left than in the right hand in the numerical decision task (500–700 ms after stimulus onset). In the semantic task, smaller numbers again led to larger force increase in the left hand, and larger numbers increased the right-hand holding force. This effect appeared earlier (180 ms) and lasted longer (until 580 ms after stimulus onset). This is the first demonstration of SNAs with passive holding force. Our result suggests that (1) explicit motor response is not a prerequisite for SNAs to appear, and (2) the timing and strength of SNAs are task-dependent. (216 words).
T3  - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe - 810 
KW  - SNARC
KW  - Mental number line
KW  - Number processing
KW  - Embodied cognition
KW  - Grip force
KW  - Motor system
Y1  - 2023
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-578324
SN  - 1866-8364
IS  - 810
ER  -