Abstract
Previous research has proved that the action representation influences object recognition before the completion of object recognition, that is, within the first 150 millisecond (Kiefer, Sim, Helbig, & Graf, 2011). There are at least two kinds of action representation, structure-based and function-based action representation, depending on different neural streams (Rizzolatti & Matelli ,2003). Therefore, an ERP experiment was conducted to explore whether these two action representations can both influence object recognition before the completion of object recognition. With a priming paradigm, a hand posture picture and a manipulable object were presented sequentially and participants were asked to name the object when a question mark was presented, during which ERPs were measured to examine brain activation. The results showed that there was a function-based action priming effect over the central scalp as early as 70 millisecond after the onset of target objects, that is, the mean amplitude with congruent function-based action pictures was significant larger than that with incongruent function-based action pictures in central scalp. Whereas, the difference between congruent and incongruent trials was not significant in structure-based action priming condition. The mean amplitude of N1 in the function-based action priming condition over the parietal scalp in the early stage of object recognition was significant larger than that in the structure-based action priming condition. These results indicate that function-based action representation is activated in the early recognition stage, and functions before the completion of object recognition, while the structure-based action representation cannot. The findings suggest that the activation time of these two action representation are different and that function-based action representation is perhaps more important to object recognition. The present study provides further evidence for the distinction between two action systems: "Grasp" and "Use" system.
Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2016