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Abstract

A central question in visual neuroscience concerns the degree to which visual representations of
actions are used for action execution. Previously, we have shown that during simultaneous action
observation and action execution, visual action recognition relies on visual but not motor
processes. This research suggests a primacy of visual processes in social interaction scenarios.
Here, we provide further evidence for visual processes dominating perception and action in social
interactions. We examined the influence of visual processes on motor control. 16 participants
were tested in a 3D virtual environment setup. Participants were visually adapted to an action (fist
bump or punch) and subsequently categorized an ambiguous morphed action as either fist bump
or punch in three experimental conditions. In the first condition participants responded via key
press after having seen the entire test stimulus. In the second, participants responded with carrying
out the complementary action after having seen the entire test stimulus. In the third (social
interaction condition) participants carried out the complementary action while observing the
test stimulus. We found an antagonistic bias of movement trajectories towards the non-adapted
action (adaptation aftereffect) only in the social interaction condition. Our results highlight the
importance of visual processes in social interactions.