TY  - JOUR
A1  - Parkinson, Jim
A1  - Springer, Anne
A1  - Prinz, Wolfgang
T1  - Can you see me in the snow? - action simulation aids the detection of visually degraded human motion
JF  - The quarterly journal of experimental psychology
N2  - Using a novel paradigm, we demonstrate that action simulation can directly facilitate ongoing perception of people's movements. Point-light actors (PLAs) representing common human motions were shown embedded in a visual noise reminiscent of "TV snow". At first, the PLAs were perceived clearly, then occluded from view for a short duration, during which it was hypothesized that a real-time action simulation was generated tracking the motion's course. The PLA then reappeared in motion at variable visibility against the noise, whilst detection thresholds for the reappearance were measured. In the crucial manipulation, the test motion was either temporally congruent with the motion as it would have continued during occlusion, and thus temporally matching the simulation, or temporally incongruent. Detection thresholds were lower for congruent than for incongruent reappearing motions, suggesting that reappearing motion that temporally matched the internal action simulation was more likely to be detected.
KW  - Biological motion
KW  - Action-perception
KW  - Real-time prediction
KW  - Point-light action
Y1  - 2011
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1080/17470218.2011.594895
SN  - 1747-0218
VL  - 64
IS  - 8
SP  - 1463
EP  - 1472
PB  - Wiley
CY  - Hove
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Springer, Anne
A1  - Brandstädter, Simone
A1  - Prinz, Wolfgang
T1  - Dynamic Simulation and Static Matching for Action Prediction : evidence from Body Part Priming
JF  - Cognitive science : a multidisciplinary journal of anthropology, artificial intelligence, education, linguistics, neuroscience, philosophy, psychology ; journal of the Cognitive Science Society
N2  - Accurately predicting other people's actions may involve two processes: internal real-time simulation (dynamic updating) and matching recently perceived action images (static matching). Using a priming of body parts, this study aimed to differentiate the two processes. Specifically, participants played a motion-controlled video game with either their arms or legs. They then observed arm movements of a point-light actor, which were briefly occluded from view, followed by a static test pose. Participants judged whether this test pose depicted a coherent continuation of the previously seen action (i.e., action prediction task). Evidence of dynamic updating was obtained after compatible effector priming (i.e., arms), whereas incompatible effector priming (i.e., legs) indicated static matching. Together, the results support action prediction as engaging two distinct processes, dynamic simulation and static matching, and indicate that their relative contributions depend on contextual factors like compatibility of body parts involved in performed and observed action.
KW  - Action prediction
KW  - Internal simulation
KW  - Body part priming
KW  - Point-light action
Y1  - 2013
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1111/cogs.12044
SN  - 0364-0213
VL  - 37
IS  - 5
SP  - 936
EP  - 952
PB  - Wiley-Blackwell
CY  - Hoboken
ER  -