Dissociable Neural Systems Support Retrieval of How and Why Action Knowledge.

A study examined the neural bases of retrieving “how” and “why” knowledge for linguistic action stimuli. Data were obtained from 16 right-handed, English-speaking participants who undertook an ecologically valid free-recall task. Findings revealed support for the proposition that there is more to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychological Science. Vol. 21; no. 11; pp. 1593 - 1599
Main Authors: Spunt, Robert P., Falk, Emily B., Lieberman, Matthew D.
Format: Article
Published: HWW Temp November 2010
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Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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Summary:A study examined the neural bases of retrieving “how” and “why” knowledge for linguistic action stimuli. Data were obtained from 16 right-handed, English-speaking participants who undertook an ecologically valid free-recall task. Findings revealed support for the proposition that there is more to action than acting, and that actions indicate both movements of the body and belief-desire states of the mind. Findings suggested that to the extent that individuals represent one or the other, dissociable neural systems play a role. Findings are discussed in detail.