Journal: Acta Psychologica

Abbreviation

Acta psychol.

Publisher

Elsevier

Journal Volumes

ISSN

0001-6918

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Publications 1 - 7 of 7
  • Have I grooved to this before? Discriminating practised and observed actions in a novel context
    Item type: Journal Article
    Sumanapala, Dilini K.; Fish, Laurel A.; Jones, Alex L.; et al. (2017)
    Acta Psychologica
    Learning a new motor skill typically requires converting actions observed from a third-person perspective into fluid motor commands executed from a first-person perspective. In the present study, we test the hypothesis that during motor learning, the ability to discriminate between actions that have been observed and actions that have been executed is associated with learning aptitude, as assessed by a general measure of physical performance. Using a multi-day dance-training paradigm with a group of dance-naïve participants, we investigated whether actions that had been regularly observed could be discriminated from similar actions that had been physically practised over the course of three days, or a further set of similar actions that remained untrained. Training gains and performance scores at test were correlated with participants' ability to discriminate between observed and practised actions, suggesting that an individual's ability to differentiate between visual versus visuomotor action encoding is associated with general motor learning.
  • Individual differences in chess expertise
    Item type: Journal Article
    Grabner, Roland H.; Stern, Elsbeth; Neubauer, Aljoscha C. (2007)
    Acta Psychologica
  • Relationships between self-esteem-related dream content and explicit and implicit measures of self-esteem
    Item type: Journal Article
    Naudszus, Luca Alexander; Altmann, Tobias; Roth, Marcus (2024)
    Acta Psychologica
    While there is evidence of continuity between waking life and dream content, findings with regard to personality are questionable due to methodological issues. In addition, previous studies have used explicit measures, although one could assume that dream content, which is formed implicitly, should have a closer relationship with implicit measures of personality. We investigated how explicit and implicit measures of self-esteem are related to two possibly pertinent variables of dream content. We analyzed 1359 dreams collected from 85 participants. We found that one dream content variable, the proportion of self-esteem-relevant dreams, was significantly related to self-esteem, corroborating the idea of a continuity between waking life and dreaming. Interestingly, the relationship was present only for dreams relevant to social self-esteem. This finding can be considered an example of the well-known sociality bias of dreams. Contrary to our expectations, these results were obtained only for explicit measures but not for implicit ones.
  • Video game players show higher performance but no difference in speed of attention shifts
    Item type: Journal Article
    Mack, David J.; Wiesmann, Helene; Ilg, Uwe J. (2016)
    Acta Psychologica
  • Challenges and opportunities for top-down modulation research in cognitive psychology
    Item type: Journal Article
    Ramsey, Richard; Ward, Rob (2020)
    Acta Psychologica
    Studying social modulation of cognitive processes holds much promise for illuminating how, where, when and why social factors influence how we perceive and act in the world, as well as providing insight into the underlying cognitive mechanisms. This is no small objective; it reflects an ambitious programme of research. At present, based on the modal theoretical and methodological approach, we suggest that several challenges exist to achieving such lofty aims. These challenges span an overreliance on a simplistic dichotomy between “top-down” and “bottom-up” modulation, a lack of specificity about mechanisms that renders clear interpretations difficult, and theories that largely test against null hypotheses. We suggest that these challenges present several opportunities for new research and we encourage the field to abandon simplistic dichotomies and connect much more with existing research programmes such as semantics, memory and attention, which have all built diverse research platforms over many decades and that can help shape how social modulation is conceptualised and studied from a cognitive and brain perspective. We also outline ways that stronger theoretical positions can be taken, which avoid comparing to null hypotheses, and endorse methodological reform through fully embracing proposals from the open science movement and “credibility revolution”. We feel that by taking these opportunities, the field will have a better chance of reaching its potential to build a cumulative science of social modulation that can inform understanding of basic cognitive and brain systems, as well as real-life social interactions and the varied abilities observed across the Autism Spectrum.
  • Neurocognitive control in dance perception and performance
    Item type: Journal Article
    Bläsing, Bettina; Calvo-Merino, Beatriz; Cross, Emily S.; et al. (2012)
    Acta Psychologica
    Dance is a rich source of material for researchers interested in the integration of movement and cognition. The multiple aspects of embodied cognition involved in performing and perceiving dance have inspired sci- entists to use dance as a means for studying motor control, expertise, and action-perception links. The aim of this review is to present basic research on cognitive and neural processes implicated in the execution, expres- sion, and observation of dance, and to bring into relief contemporary issues and open research questions. The review addresses six topics: 1) dancers' exemplary motor control, in terms of postural control, equilibrium maintenance, and stabilization; 2) how dancers' timing and on-line synchronization are influenced by atten- tion demands and motor experience; 3) the critical roles played by sequence learning and memory; 4) how dancers make strategic use of visual and motor imagery; 5) the insights into the neural coupling between ac- tion and perception yielded through exploration of the brain architecture mediating dance observation; and 6) a neuroesthetics perspective that sheds new light on the way audiences perceive and evaluate dance ex- pression. Current and emerging issues are presented regarding future directions that will facilitate the ongo- ing dialog between science and dance.
  • Adding up fine motor skills: Developmental relations between manual dexterity and numerical abilities
    Item type: Journal Article
    Gashaj, Venera; Trninic, Dragan (2023)
    Acta Psychologica
    The strength and development of the relationship between mathematical and motor skills is explored across three age groups of normally developing children. The presence of this relationship is postulated in classical accounts of human development. In contemporary research, the existence of a relationship between motor development and the development of abstract concepts may inform theories of embodied cognition. Existing work supports a link between fine motor skills and various numerical and mathematical tasks in young children; however, few attempts have been made to investigate this relationship across different ages. We use a cross-sectional design to investigate the link between fine motor and mathematical skills in samples of 81–96 Kindergarten, 2nd-grade, and 4th-grade children. Bayesian correlations were performed to explore the relationship between fine motor skills and mathematical skills at different time points. The results show that correlational patterns vary across the three ages: in Kindergarten, manual dexterity of the dominant hand is related to math skills, in 2nd grade, the manual dexterity of the nondominant hand is related to math skills; and finally in 4th grade no such correlations are observable. These findings contribute to understanding the developmental trajectory of the relationship between motor skills and mathematical abilities and the internalization of numerical embodiment. Further investigation is needed to determine if fine motor skills can serve as an early indicator of mathematical skill development risk. Future work could also explore whether incorporating spatial and motor elements into mathematical tasks through whole-body or finger movement training supports the development of mathematical skills.
Publications 1 - 7 of 7