TY - JOUR A1 - Springer, Anne A1 - Parkinson, Jim A1 - Prinz, Wolfgang T1 - Action simulation: time course and representational mechanisms JF - FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY N2 - The notion of action simulation refers to the ability to re-enact foreign actions (i.e., actions observed in other individuals). Simulating others’ actions implies a mirroring of their activities, based on one’s own sensonmotor competencies. Here, we discuss theoretical and experimental approaches to action simulation and the study of its representational underpinnings. One focus of our discussion is on the timing of internal simulation and its relation to the timing of external action, and a paradigm that requires participants to predict the future course of actions that are temporarily occluded from view. We address transitions between perceptual mechanisms (referring to action representation before and after occlusion) and simulation mechanisms (referring to action representation during occlusion). Findings suggest that action simulation runs in real-time; acting on newly created action representations rather than relying on continuous visual extrapolations. A further focus of our discussion pertains to the functional characteristics of the mechanisms involved in predicting other people’s actions. We propose that two processes are engaged, dynamic updating and static matching, which may draw on both semantic and motor information. In a concluding section, we discuss these findings in the context of broader theoretical issues related to action and event representation, arguing that a detailed functional analysis of action simulation in cognitive, neural, and computational terms may help to further advance our understanding of action cognition and motor control. KW - action simulation KW - internal forward models KW - occlusion KW - point-light action KW - static matching KW - predictive coding Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00387 SN - 1664-1078 VL - 4 PB - FRONTIERS RESEARCH FOUNDATION CY - LAUSANNE ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Krahe, Charlotte A1 - Springer, Anne A1 - Weinman, John A. A1 - Fotopoulou, Aikaterini T1 - The social modulation of pain - others as predictive signals of salience ; a systematic review JF - Frontiers in human neuroscienc N2 - Several studies in cognitive neuroscience have investigated the cognitive and affective modulation of pain. By contrast, fewer studies have focused on the social modulation of pain, despite a plethora of relevant clinical findings. Here we present the first review of experimental studies addressing how interpersonal factors, such as the presence, behavior, and spatial proximity of an observer, modulate pain. Based on a systematic literature search, we identified 26 studies on experimentally induced pain that manipulated different interpersonal variables and measured behavioral, physiological, and neural pain-related responses. We observed that the modulation of pain by interpersonal factors depended on (1) the degree to which the social partners were active or were perceived by the participants to possess possibility for action; (2) the degree to which participants could perceive the specific intentions of the social partners; (3) the type of pre-existing relationship between the social partner and the person in pain, and lastly, (4) individual differences in relating to others and coping styles. Based on these findings, we propose that the modulation of pain by social factors can be fruitfully understood in relation to a recent predictive coding model, the free energy framework, particularly as applied to interoception and social cognition. Specifically, we argue that interpersonal interactions during pain may function as social, predictive signals of contextual threat or safety and as such influence the salience of noxious stimuli. The perception of such interpersonal interactions may in turn depend on (a) prior beliefs about interpersonal relating and (b) the certainty or precision by which an interpersonal interaction may predict environmental threat or safety. KW - pain KW - social modulation KW - social support KW - empathy KW - predictive coding KW - attachment KW - review Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00386 SN - 1662-5161 VL - 7 IS - 29 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER -