Mental simulation is a cognitive strategy commonly used in daily life to activate mental representations even in absence of the proper sensory stimulation. When we mentally simulate to move (e.g. for a better performance), bottom-up peripheral information (e.g. posture) influences the characteristics of such simulated movements.
Pushing forward previous work, this SeMoLa project aims at investigating the role of socially-related sensory changes on mental simulation of movements. To this aim I use behavioral data from a sample of healthy volunteers. In addition I will test the influence of experiencing or not social interactions involving sensory processing during the movement simulation.
This project can have important fallouts to better understand the full panel of neuropsychological disorders affecting the social sphere, with a particular focus on potential effects on body representation.
Sensory-Motor Lab (SeMoLa) 