Abstract
A perceived action can be understood only when information about the action carried out and the objects used are taken into account. It was investigated how spatial and functional information contributes to establishing these relations. Participants observed static frames showing a hand wielding an instrument and a potential target object of the action. The 2 elements could either match or mismatch, spatially or functionally. Participants were required to judge only 1 of the 2 relations while ignoring the other. Both irrelevant spatial and functional mismatches affected judgments of the relevant relation. Moreover, the functional relation provided a context for the judgment of the spatial relation but not vice versa. The results are discussed in respect to recent accounts of action understanding.
DOI
10.1037/0096-1523.31.3.465
Publication Date
2005-01-01
Publication Title
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance
Volume
31
Issue
3
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
ISSN
1939-1277
Embargo Period
2024-11-22
First Page
465
Last Page
479
Recommended Citation
Bach, P., Knoblich, G., Gunter, T., Friederici, A., & Prinz, W. (2005) 'Action Comprehension: Deriving Spatial and Functional Relations.', Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 31(3), pp. 465-479. American Psychological Association (APA): Available at: https://doi.org/10.1037/0096-1523.31.3.465
