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Abstract:
The ability to perceive self-produced movements and to
correctly attribute an action to its proper agent is a natural task
and a basic requirement to human social communication. Recent
experiments suggest that this apparently simple phenomenon is
related to the mechanisms of motor production, raising the question
whether recognition of self-produced movement is affected by
asymmetries similar to those present in motor skills. Nine
right-handers and nine left-handers decided whether a moving hand
presented on a screen was the image of their own hand or of that of
another person. Verbal responses and response times were analyzed.
Results showed that right-handers were more accurate in recognizing
their own right hand (39.2, SE 1.1, left hand 36.7, SE 1.2; T=0.00,
Z=2.665, p<0.01). Almost the opposite was found for
left-handers: all subjects recognized slightly more accurately
their left hand (37.8 SE 1.5, right hand 35.7, SE 1.5, p=0.1). In
the right-handers group, mean response times did not differ among
conditions, whereas among left-handers a slight increase was found
when subjects saw the right hand (775.2 ms, SE 65.5, left hand
709.3 ms SE 93.9), and when the hand was not their own (Examiner
Condition 772.4 ms, SE 66.2, Subject condition 712.0 ms, SE 82.6).
The present data suggest that the ability to recognize
self-generated movements is affected by motor dominance and are
consistent with the hypothesis that internal motor representations
differ between right and left-handers.
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