According tothe “embodied simulationtheory,” exposure tocertainvisualstimuliwould automaticallytriggeractionsimulationinthemindoftheobserver,therebyoriginatinga “feeling ofmovement” modulated bythemirrorneuronsystem(MNS).Groundedonthis conceptualization,someofusrecentlysuggestedthatwhenexposedtotheRorschach inkblots, inorder to see a humanmovement(e.g., “a personrunning”) inthoseambiguous stimuli, theobserverwouldneed to experience a “feeling ofmovement” via embodied simulation.Thecurrentstudyusedrepetitivetranscranialmagneticstimulation(rTMS)to further testthishypothesis.Specifically,weinvestigatedwhethertemporarilyinterfering with theactivityoftheleftinferiorfrontalgyrus(LIFG;aputativeMNSarea)usingrTMS would decreasethepropensitytoseehumanmovement(M)intheRorschachinkblots. Thirty-six participantswereexposedtotheRorschachstimulitwice,i.e.,duringabaseline (without rTMS)andsoonafterinhibitoryrTMS.AsfortherTMScondition,halfofthe sample wasstimulatedovertheLIFG(experimentalgroup)andtheotherhalfoverthe Vertex (controlgroup).Inlinewithourhypothesis,theapplicationofrTMSoverLIFG,but not overVertex,yieldedastatisticallysignificant reductionintheattributionofMtothe ambiguous stimuli,withlargeeffectsize.These findings maybeinterpretedasbeing consistent withthehypothesisthatthereisalinkbetweentheMNSandthe “feeling of movement” people mayexperience,whenobservingambiguousstimulisuchasthe Rorschach cards.
Embodied Simulation and Ambiguous. Stimuli: the Role of the Mirror Neuron System.
Ando' A;Pignolo C;Cristofanelli S;Ferro L;Zennaro A
2015-01-01
Abstract
According tothe “embodied simulationtheory,” exposure tocertainvisualstimuliwould automaticallytriggeractionsimulationinthemindoftheobserver,therebyoriginatinga “feeling ofmovement” modulated bythemirrorneuronsystem(MNS).Groundedonthis conceptualization,someofusrecentlysuggestedthatwhenexposedtotheRorschach inkblots, inorder to see a humanmovement(e.g., “a personrunning”) inthoseambiguous stimuli, theobserverwouldneed to experience a “feeling ofmovement” via embodied simulation.Thecurrentstudyusedrepetitivetranscranialmagneticstimulation(rTMS)to further testthishypothesis.Specifically,weinvestigatedwhethertemporarilyinterfering with theactivityoftheleftinferiorfrontalgyrus(LIFG;aputativeMNSarea)usingrTMS would decreasethepropensitytoseehumanmovement(M)intheRorschachinkblots. Thirty-six participantswereexposedtotheRorschachstimulitwice,i.e.,duringabaseline (without rTMS)andsoonafterinhibitoryrTMS.AsfortherTMScondition,halfofthe sample wasstimulatedovertheLIFG(experimentalgroup)andtheotherhalfoverthe Vertex (controlgroup).Inlinewithourhypothesis,theapplicationofrTMSoverLIFG,but not overVertex,yieldedastatisticallysignificant reductionintheattributionofMtothe ambiguous stimuli,withlargeeffectsize.These findings maybeinterpretedasbeing consistent withthehypothesisthatthereisalinkbetweentheMNSandthe “feeling of movement” people mayexperience,whenobservingambiguousstimulisuchasthe Rorschach cards.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
