Abstract
Research on response selection during sequential joint action tasks has shown that individuals plan their actions to aid their co-actors portion of the task. Action co-representation is thought to be the underlying cognitive process that allows co-actors to facilitate each others actions. In essence, it is thought that, by representing each others actions, people plan joint tasks as if they were performing the task themselves. To test this hypothesis, the present study was designed to determine if people adopt similar response planning strategies when they pass objects to co-actors and when they pass objects between their own limbs. Participants performed the following three tasks: 1) pick up a jug of water and pour a glass of water; 2) pick up a jug with one hand and pass it to the other hand and then pour a glass of water; 3) pick up a jug with one hand and pass it to a confederate, who then poured the glass of water. If individuals plan joint actions through co-representation and coding the co-actor as an extension of themselves, then individuals should pass objects in a similar way between their own limbs and between other individuals. In contrast to this prediction, the results indicate that individuals adopted different strategies when passing to their own limb and when passing to the co-actor. It appears that object properties, such as jug diameter, may have influenced response planning strategies to a greater degree in this task.Acknowledgments: NSERC, Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation