The role of the motor system in visual working memory: Further findings

Written by Clara Gimenez, Denis Brouillet on 26 June 2020. Posted in Volume XXIV, Nr 2

Authors

Clara Gimenez*, Denis Brouillet

EPSYLON Laboratory, EA 4556, Paul Valéry University, Montpellier, France

Abstract

The embodied view of cognition suggests that cognitive functioning is supported by sensory and motor processes and the automatic simulation of sensory and motor dimensions to the evocation of an object (words or pictures). In working memory results based on imaging data and behavioral data are contradictory. The aim of our work was to examine whether the procedure used in behavioral studies can fail to highlight possible simulation in visual working memory. Our experiment replicated that of Pecher et al. (2013) but with two differences: the interferent task was that used in Witt et al. (2010), and participants responded with their hand rather than their foot. The results showed that, with the interferent task, participants were less able to distinguish old objects from new, and graspable from non-graspable objects, which suggests that motor simulation does seem to occur in visual working memory.

Keywords: motor system, visual working memory, simulation process, embodied cognition

PAGES:153-162

doi:10.24193/cbb.2020.24.09

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