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Emily S. Cross

Bangor University, Psychology, Faculty Member

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I am interested in how action and perception interact at brain and behavioral levels. One main strand of my work examines how the ability to perform highly skilled actions, such as dancing or tying knots, influences cortical activation while perceiving the action or object of expertise. I am also interested in the impact of social experience on action perception, with recent work exploring how expectations about and visual features of artificial agents impact social cognition and perception.
Phone: +44 1248 383274
Address: School of Psychology
Adeilad Brigantia
Bangor University
Bangor, Gwynedd
LL57 2AS
United Kingdom

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Papers by Emily S. Cross

Anodal tDCS over Primary Motor Cortex Provides No Advantage to Learning Motor Sequences via Observation

by Richard Ramsey and Emily S. Cross

When learning a new motor skill, we benefit from watching others. It has been suggested that obse... more When learning a new motor skill, we benefit from watching others. It has been suggested that observation of others' actions can build a motor representation in the observer, and as such, physical and observational learning might share a similar neural basis. If physical and observational learning share a similar neural basis, then motor cortex stimulation during observational practice should similarly enhance learning by observation as it does through physical practice. Here, we used transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) to address whether anodal stimulation to M1 during observational training facilitates skill acquisition. Participants learned keypress sequences across four consecutive days of observational practice while receiving active or sham stimulation over M1. The results demonstrated that active stimulation provided no advantage to skill learning over sham stimulation. Further, Bayesian analyses revealed evidence in favour of the null hypothesis across our dependent measures. Our findings therefore provide no support for the hypothesis that excitatory M1 stimulation can enhance observational learning in a similar manner to physical learning. More generally, the results add to a growing literature that suggests that the effects of tDCS tend to be small, inconsistent, and hard to replicate. Future tDCS research should consider these factors when designing experimental procedures.

The Timing and Precision of Action Prediction in the Aging Brain

Successful social interactions depend on the ability to anticipate other people's actions. Curren... more Successful social interactions depend on the ability to anticipate other people's actions. Current conceptualizations of brain function propose that causes of sensory input are inferred through their integration with internal predictions generated in the observer's motor system during action observation. Less is known concerning how action prediction changes with age. Previously we showed that internal action representations are less specific in older compared with younger adults at behavioral and neural levels. Here, we characterize how neural activity varies while healthy older adults aged 56–71 years predict the time-course of an unfolding action as well as the relation to task performance. By using fMRI, brain activity was measured while participants observed partly occluded actions and judged the temporal coherence of the action continuation that was manipulated. We found that neural activity in frontoparietal and occipitotemporal regions increased the more an action continuation was shifted backwards in time. Action continuations that were shifted towards the future preferentially engaged early visual cortices. Increasing age was associated with neural activity that extended from posterior to anterior regions in frontal and superior temporal cortices. Lower sensitivity in action prediction resulted in activity increases in the caudate. These results imply that the neural implementation of predicting actions undergoes similar changes as the neural process of executing actions in older adults. The comparison between internal predictions and sensory input seems to become less precise with age leading to difficulties in anticipating observed actions accurately, possibly due to less specific internal action models. Hum Brain Mapp 00:000–000, 2015. V C 2015 The Authors Human Brain Mapping Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Understanding self and others: from origins to disorders

In order to interpret and engage with the social world, individuals must understand how they rela... more In order to interpret and engage with the social world, individuals must understand how they relate to others. Self–other understanding forms the backbone of social cognition and is a central concept explored by research into basic processes such as action perception and empathy, as well as research on more sophisticated social behaviours such as cooperation and intergroup interaction. This theme issue integrates the latest research into self –other understanding from evolutionary biology, anthropology, psychology , neuroscience and psychiatry. By gathering perspectives from a diverse range of disciplines, the contributions showcase ways in which research in these areas both informs and is informed by approaches spanning the biological and social sciences, thus deepening our understanding of how we relate to others in a social world.

The shaping of social perception by stimulus and knowledge cues to human animacy

by Emily S. Cross and Richard Ramsey

One contribution of 16 to a theme issue 'Understanding self and other: from origins to disorders'... more One contribution of 16 to a theme issue 'Understanding self and other: from origins to disorders'. Although robots are becoming an ever-growing presence in society, we do not hold the same expectations for robots as we do for humans, nor do we treat them the same. As such, the ability to recognize cues to human animacy is fundamental for guiding social interactions. We review literature that demonstrates cortical networks associated with person perception, action observation and mentalizing are sensitive to human animacy information. In addition, we show that most prior research has explored stimulus properties of artificial agents (humanness of appearance or motion), with less investigation into knowledge cues (whether an agent is believed to have human or artificial origins). Therefore, currently little is known about the relationship between stimulus and knowledge cues to human animacy in terms of cognitive and brain mechanisms. Using fMRI, an elaborate belief manipulation, and human and robot avatars, we found that knowledge cues to human animacy modulate engagement of person perception and mentalizing networks, while stimulus cues to human animacy had less impact on social brain networks. These findings demonstrate that self–other similarities are not only grounded in physical features but are also shaped by prior knowledge. More broadly, as artificial agents fulfil increasingly social roles, a challenge for roboticists will be to manage the impact of preconceived beliefs while optimizing human-like design.

The impact of sensorimotor experience on affective evaluation of dance

by Louise Kirsch and Emily S. Cross

Past research demonstrates that we are more likely to positively evaluate a stimulus if we have h... more Past research demonstrates that we are more likely to positively evaluate a stimulus if we have had previous experience with that stimulus. This has been shown for judgment of faces, architecture, artworks and body movements. In contrast, other evidence suggests that this relationship can also work in the inverse direction, at least in the domain of watching dance. Specifically, it has been shown that in certain contexts, people derive greater pleasure from watching unfamiliar movements they would not be able to physically reproduce compared to simpler, familiar actions they could physically reproduce. It remains unknown, however, how different kinds of experience with complex actions, such as dance, might change observers' affective judgments of these movements. Our aim was to clarify the relationship between experience and affective evaluation of whole body movements. In a between-subjects design, participants received either physical dance training with a video game system, visual and auditory experience or auditory experience only. Participants' aesthetic preferences for dance stimuli were measured before and after the training sessions. Results show that participants from the physical training group not only improved their physical performance of the dance sequences, but also reported higher enjoyment and interest in the stimuli after training. This suggests that physically learning particular movements leads to greater enjoyment while observing them. These effects are not simply due to increased familiarity with audio or visual elements of the stimuli, as the other two training groups showed no increase in aesthetic ratings post-training. We suggest these results support an embodied simulation account of aesthetics, and discuss how the present findings contribute to a better understanding of the shaping of preferences by sensorimotor experience.

Testing key predictions of the associative account of mirror neurons in humans using multivariate pattern analysis

The Behavioral and brain sciences, 2014

Cook et al. overstate the evidence supporting their associative account of mirror neurons in huma... more Cook et al. overstate the evidence supporting their associative account of mirror neurons in humans: most studies do not address a key property, action-specificity that generalizes across the visual and motor domains. Multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) of neuroimaging data can address this concern, and we illustrate how MVPA can be used to test key predictions of their account.

Additive routes to action learning: Layering experience shapes engagement of the action observation network

The way in which we perceive others in action is biased by one's prior experience with an observe... more The way in which we perceive others in action is biased by one's prior experience with an observed action. For example, we can have auditory, visual, or motor experience with actions we observe others perform. How action experience via 1, 2, or all 3 of these modalities shapes action perception remains unclear. Here, we combine pre-and post-training functional magnetic resonance imaging measures with a dance training manipulation to address how building experience (from auditory to audiovisual to audiovisual plus motor) with a complex action shapes subsequent action perception. Results indicate that layering experience across these 3 modalities activates a number of sensorimotor cortical regions associated with the action observation network (AON) in such a way that the more modalities through which one experiences an action, the greater the response is within these AON regions during action perception. Moreover, a correlation between left premotor activity and participants' scores for reproducing an action suggests that the better an observer can perform an observed action, the stronger the neural response is. The findings suggest that the number of modalities through which an observer experiences an action impacts AON activity additively, and that premotor cortical activity might serve as an index of embodiment during action observation.

There or not there? A multidisciplinary review and research agenda on the impact of transparent barriers on human perception, action, and social behaviour

Through advances in production and treatment technologies, transparent glass has become an increa... more Through advances in production and treatment technologies, transparent glass has become an increasingly versatile material and a global hallmark of modern architecture. In the shape of invisible barriers, it defines spaces while simultaneously shaping their lighting, noise, and climate conditions. Despite these unique architectural qualities, little is known regarding the human experience with glass barriers. Is a material that has been described as being simultaneously there and not there from an architectural perspective, actually there and/or not there from perceptual, behavioral, and social points of view? In this article, we review systematic observations and experimental studies that explore the impact of transparent barriers on human cognition and action. In doing so, the importance of empirical and multidisciplinary approaches to inform the use of glass in contemporary architecture is highlighted and key questions for future inquiry are identified.

Dynamic modulation of the action observation network by movement familiarity

When watching another person's actions, a network of sensorimotor brain regions, collectively ter... more When watching another person's actions, a network of sensorimotor brain regions, collectively termed the action observation network (AON), is engaged. Previous research suggests that the AON is more responsive when watching familiar compared with unfamiliar actions. However, most research into AON function is premised on comparisons of AON engagement during different types of task using univariate, magnitude-based approaches. To better understand the relationship between action familiarity and AON engagement, here we examine how observed movement familiarity modulates AON activity in humans using dynamic causal modeling, a type of effective connectivity analysis. Twenty-one subjects underwent fMRI scanning while viewing whole-body dance movements that varied in terms of their familiarity. Participants' task was to either predict the next posture the dancer's body would assume or to respond to a nonaction-related attentional control question. To assess individuals' familiarity with each movement, participants rated each video on a measure of visual familiarity after being scanned. Parametric analyses showed more activity in left middle temporal gyrus, inferior parietal lobule, and inferior frontal gyrus as videos were rated as increasingly familiar. These clusters of activity formed the regions of interest for dynamic causal modeling analyses, which revealed attenuation of effective connectivity bidirectionally between parietal and temporal AON nodes when participants observed videos they rated as increasingly familiar. As such, the findings provide partial support for a predictive coding model of the AON, as well as illuminate how action familiarity manipulations can be used to explore simulationbased accounts of action understanding.

Supramodal and modality-sensitive representations of perceived action categories in the human brain

by Richard Ramsey and Emily S. Cross

modality, which was manifested as a greater sensitivity for video compared with sentence stimuli.... more modality, which was manifested as a greater sensitivity for video compared with sentence stimuli. Together, this pattern of results demonstrates both supramodal and modalitysensitive representations of action categories in the human brain, a finding with implications for how we understand other people's actions from video and written sources.

The Control of Automatic Imitation Based on Bottom-Up and Top-Down Cues to Animacy: Insights from Brain and Behavior

by Richard Ramsey and Emily S. Cross

■ Humans automatically imitate other peopleʼs actions during social interactions, building rappor... more ■ Humans automatically imitate other peopleʼs actions during social interactions, building rapport and social closeness in the process. Although the behavioral consequences and neural correlates of imitation have been studied extensively, little is known about the neural mechanisms that control imitative tendencies. For example, the degree to which an agent is perceived as human-like influences automatic imitation, but it is not known how perception of animacy influences brain circuits that control imitation. In the current fMRI study, we examined how the perception and belief of animacy influence the control of automatic imitation. Using an imitation-inhibition paradigm that involves suppressing the tendency to imitate an observed action, we manipulated both bottom-up (visual input) and top-down (belief ) cues to animacy. Results show divergent patterns of behavioral and neural responses. Behavioral analyses show that automatic imitation is equivalent when one or both cues to animacy are present but reduces when both are absent. By contrast, right TPJ showed sensitivity to the presence of both animacy cues. Thus, we demonstrate that right TPJ is biologically tuned to control imitative tendencies when the observed agent both looks like and is believed to be human. The results suggest that right TPJ may be involved in a specialized capacity to control automatic imitation of human agents, rather than a universal process of conflict management, which would be more consistent with generalist theories of imitative control. Evidence for specialized neural circuitry that "controls" imitation offers new insight into developmental disorders that involve atypical processing of social information, such as autism spectrum disorders. ■

A review and critical analysis of how cognitive neuroscientific investigations using dance can contribute to sport psychology

Whether watching Michael Jackson moonwalk or Savion Glover tap dance, it is striking how skilfull... more Whether watching Michael Jackson moonwalk or Savion Glover tap dance, it is striking how skilfully some people can move their bodies. The emerging field of cognitive neuroscience has produced important advances in understanding the control and perception of complex action. Here we outline the merits and limitations of neuroscience methods for studying psychological states and how they might inform sport psychology research. To do so, we review studies that have used dance paradigms, as well as summarize a debate regarding the utility of brain-based measurements for studying human cognition. Our central argument is twofold. First, the origins of studying dance with cognitive neuroscientific methods do not stem from a desire to inform dancers or instructors how to influence performance. Rather, dance is a useful tool to investigate the neurocognitive mechanisms that mediate the perception of complex action and development of expertise. In other words, neuroscientists were initially interested in ways that dance could be used to study elementary links between action and perception. Second, biological-level descriptions should not hold a privileged status over any other measure of a psychological state, and we urge consideration of the limits of brain-based methods when using cognitive neuroscientific approaches to understand the psychology of sport.

Dissociable substrates for body motion and physical experience in the human action observation network: Bodies and embodiment in action understanding

European Journal of Neuroscience, 2009

Observation of human actions recruits a well-defined network of brain regions, yet the purpose of... more Observation of human actions recruits a well-defined network of brain regions, yet the purpose of this action observation network (AON) remains under debate. Some authors contend that this network has developed to respond specifically to observation of human actions. Conversely, others suggest that this network responds in a similar manner to actions prompted by human and non-human cues, and that one’s familiarity with the action is the critical factor that drives this network. Previous studies investigating human and non-human action cues often confound novelty and stimulus form. Here, we used a dance-learning paradigm to assess AON activity during observation of trained and untrained dance cues where a human model was present or absent. Results show that individual components of the AON respond differently to the human form and to dance training. The bilateral superior temporal cortex responds preferentially to videos with a human present, regardless of training experience. Conversely, the right ventral premotor cortex responds more strongly when observing sequences that had been trained, regardless of the presence of a human. Our findings suggest that the AON comprises separate and dissociable components for motor planning and observing other people’s actions.

Dance and the brain

Summary The ubiquity of dance across cultures, ages, and history make it an “embedded” art form. ... more Summary The ubiquity of dance across cultures, ages, and history make it an “embedded” art form. Most of us already have significant dance experience by adulthood. This commonality of dance, therefore, shifted our research away from normative studies that attempt to show that dance is good for a person or their brain, that it makes one smarter, is worth learning, or that some types of dance make one smarter than others.

Simulating and predicting others’ actions

by Emily S. Cross and Anne Springer

When we observe another person perform an action, like cracking an egg or kicking a ball, we are ... more When we observe another person perform an action, like cracking an egg or kicking a ball, we are able to anticipate quite precisely the future course of the observed action. This ability is important in understanding others and in coordinating our actions with them, whether baking a cake together or playing football. This special issue includes 14 papers examining the cognitive and brain mechanisms underlying the ability to predict and simulate other people's actions.

Do alternative names block young and older adults' retrieval of proper names?

This study evaluates whether tip of the tongue experiences (TOTs) are caused by a more accessible... more This study evaluates whether tip of the tongue experiences (TOTs) are caused by a more accessible word which blocks retrieval of the target word, especially for older adults. In a “competitor priming” paradigm, young and older adults produced the name of a famous character (eg, Eliza Doolittle) in response to a question and subsequently named a picture of a famous actor or actress depicting this character (eg, Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle).

MANUSCRIPT IN PRESS IN SOCIAL NEUROSCIENCE

Abstract Much research has been carried out to understand how our brains make sense of another ag... more Abstract Much research has been carried out to understand how our brains make sense of another agent in motion. Current views based on human adult and monkey studies assume a matching process in the motor system biased towards actions performed by conspecifics and present in the observer's motor repertoire. However, little is known about the neural correlates of action cognition in early ontogeny.

Physical experience leads to enhanced object perception in parietal cortex: Insights from knot tying.

What does it mean to “know” what an object is? Viewing objects from different categories (e.g. to... more What does it mean to “know” what an object is? Viewing objects from different categories (e.g. tools vs. animals) engages distinct brain regions, but it is unclear whether these differences reflect object categories themselves or the tendency to interact differently with objects from different categories (grasping tools, not animals). Here we test how the brain constructs representations of objects that one learns to name or physically manipulate. Participants learned to name or tie different knots and brain activity was measured whilst performing a perceptual discrimination task with these knots before and after training. Activation in anterior intraparietal sulcus, a region involved in object manipulation, was specifically engaged when participants viewed knots they learned to tie. This suggests that object knowledge is linked to sensorimotor experience and its associated neural systems for object manipulation. Findings are consistent with a theory of embodiment in which there can be clear overlap in brain systems that support conceptual knowledge and control of object manipulation.

Action observation in the infant brain: The role of body form and motion

by Emily S. Cross, Tobias Grossmann, and Moritz Daum

Much research has been carried out to understand how our brains make sense of another agent in mo... more Much research has been carried out to understand how our brains make sense of another agent in motion. Current views based on human adult and monkey studies assume a matching process in the motor system biased towards actions performed by conspecifics and present in the observer’s motor repertoire. However, little is known about the neural correlates of action cognition in early ontogeny. In this study, we examined the processes involved in the observation of full body movements in 4-month-old infants using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to measure localized brain activation. In a 2 x 2 design, infants watched human or robotic figures moving in a smooth, familiar human-like manner, or in a rigid, unfamiliar robotic-like manner. We found that infant premotor cortex responded more strongly to observing robotic-like motion compared to human-like motion. Contrary to current views, this suggests that the infant motor system is flexibly engaged by novel movement patterns. Moreover, temporal cortex responses indicate that infants integrate information about form and motion during action observation. The response patterns obtained in premotor and temporal cortices during action observation in these young infants are very similar to those reported for adults (Cross et al., in press). These findings thus suggest that the brain processes involved in the analysis of an agent in motion in adults become functionally specialized very early in human development.

Predicting others' actions via grasp and gaze: evidence for distinct brain networks

Psychological Research, Jan 1, 2011

During social interactions, how do we predict what other people are going to do next? One view is... more During social interactions, how do we predict what other people are going to do next? One view is that we use our own motor experience to simulate and predict other people’s actions. For example, when we see Sally look at a coffee cup or grasp a hammer, our own motor system provides a signal that anticipates her next action. Previous research has typically examined such gaze and grasp-based simulation processes separately, and it is not known whether similar cognitive and brain systems underpin the perception of object-directed gaze and grasp. Here we use functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine to what extent gaze- and grasp-perception rely on common or distinct brain networks. Using a ‘peeping window’ protocol, we controlled what an observed actor could see and grasp. The actor could peep through one window to see if an object was present and reach through a different window to grasp the object. However, the actor could not peep and grasp at the same time. We compared gaze and grasp conditions where an object was present with matched conditions where the object was absent. When participants observed another person gaze at an object, left anterior inferior parietal lobule (aIPL) adjacent to secondary somatosensory cortex showed a greater response than when the object was absent. In contrast, when participants observed the actor grasp an object, premotor, posterior parietal, fusiform and middle occipital brain regions showed a greater response than when the object was absent. These results point towards a division in the neural substrates for different types of motor simulation. We suggest that left aIPL is involved in a predictive process that signals a future hand interaction with an object based on another person’s eye gaze, whereas a broader set of brain areas, including parts of the action observation network, are engaged during observation of an ongoing object-directed hand action.