A functional role for motor simulation in identifying tools

Psychological Science
Jessica K WittJody Culham

Abstract

Embodied cognition promotes the involvement of the motor system in cognitive processing, such as tool identification. Although neuropsychological studies suggest that the motor system is not necessary for identifying tools, it may still have a functional role in tool recognition. To test this possibility, we used a motor interference task: Participants squeezed a rubber ball in one hand while naming pictures of tools and animals. Participants were faster and more accurate in naming the tools that were oriented with the handle facing away from the squeezing hand than in naming the tools that were oriented with the handle facing toward the squeezing hand. There was no effect of orientation for animals. Given that participants simulate grasping a tool with the hand closest to the handle, this result demonstrates that interfering with the ability to simulate grasping impairs tool naming and suggests that motor simulation has a functional role in tool identification.

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Citations

Sep 13, 2013·Attention, Perception & Psychophysics·Adam T BiggsJessica K Witt
Mar 7, 2014·Attention, Perception & Psychophysics·Michel QuakRene Zeelenberg
May 29, 2012·Brain and Cognition·Anna M BorghiLewis A Wheaton
May 31, 2011·Cortex; a Journal Devoted to the Study of the Nervous System and Behavior·Markus Kiefer, Friedemann Pulvermüller
Dec 1, 2015·Frontiers in Psychology·Felix R DreyerFriedemann Pulvermüller
Feb 21, 2014·Cortex; a Journal Devoted to the Study of the Nervous System and Behavior·Laurel J Buxbaum
Jul 16, 2011·Cortex; a Journal Devoted to the Study of the Nervous System and Behavior·Maria P ViggianoAndrea Peru
Jun 24, 2014·Cortex; a Journal Devoted to the Study of the Nervous System and Behavior·David Kemmerer
Feb 24, 2015·Frontiers in Human Neuroscience·Daniel N BubTerry Lin
Sep 1, 2014·Brain : a Journal of Neurology·Laurel J BuxbaumH Branch Coslett
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Aug 19, 2016·Frontiers in Human Neuroscience·Christopher R MadanAnthony Singhal
Jul 1, 2013·Perspectives on Psychological Science : a Journal of the Association for Psychological Science·Chaz Firestone
May 2, 2013·Psychological Science·Eiling YeeSharon L Thompson-Schill
May 23, 2013·Psychological Science·Daniel N BubTerry Lin
Dec 8, 2017·Topics in Cognitive Science·Diane Pecher
Jun 12, 2018·The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology : QJEP·Léo DutriauxValérie Gyselinck
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Mar 22, 2019·Frontiers in Psychology·Romàn Viçenç JosaDenis Brouillet
Mar 12, 2017·Attention, Perception & Psychophysics·Nathan L Tenhundfeld, Jessica K Witt

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