A touch with words: Dynamic synergies between manual actions and language.
| Autores | García AM, Ibáñez A. |
|---|---|
| Año | 2016 |
| Journal | Neurosci Biobehav Rev |
| Volumen | 2016.04.022 |
| Abstract | Manual actions are a hallmark of humanness. Their underlying neural circuitry gives rise to species-specific skills and interacts with language processes. In particular, multiple studies show that hand-related expressions – verbal units evoking manual activity – variously affect concurrent manual actions, yielding apparently controversial results (interference, facilitation, or null effects) in varied time windows. Through a systematic review of 108 experiments, we show that such effects are driven by several factors, such as the level of verbal processing, action complexity, and the time-lag between linguistic and motor processes. We reconcile key empirical patterns by introducing the Hand-Action-Network Dynamic Language Embodiment (HANDLE) model, an integrative framework based on neural coupling dynamics and predictive-coding principles. To conclude, we assess HANDLE against the backdrop of other action-cognition theories, illustrate its potential applications to understand high-level deficits in motor disorders, and discuss key challenges for further development. In sum, our work aligns with the ‘pragmatic turn’, moving away from passive and static representationalist perspectives to a more dynamic, enactive, and embodied conceptualization of cognitive processes. |
| Resumen | En un sinfín de situaciones cotidianas, nuestro lenguaje se articula espontáneamente con movimientos manuales. En este trabajo, formulamos hipótesis basadas en la dinámica de redes cerebrales para explicar cómo los procesos lingüísticos interactúan sinérgicamente con dichas acciones concurrentes. A partir de ellas formulamos el primer modelo neurocognitivo que explica los efectos observados en cientos de experimentos de cognición corporizada. |