Veronica Ramenzoni | National Scientific and Technical Research Council (original) (raw)

Papers by Veronica Ramenzoni

One of the consequences of the pandemic is that throughout 2020 virtual interactions largely repl... more One of the consequences of the pandemic is that throughout 2020 virtual interactions largely replaced face-to-face interactions. Though there are few studies of how social media impacts body image perception across genders, research suggests that socializing through a virtual self-body image might have distinct implications for men and women. In an online study, we examined whether type of social pressure and body-ideal exert distinct pressures on members of the X, Y, and Z generations. Results showed media pressure affected body image satisfaction significantly more than other kinds of social pressure across genders and generations, with young males reporting a higher impact compared to older males. Males experienced more pressure to be muscular and women to be thin, especially for the younger generation. Future research should focus on social media as a potential intervention tool for the detection and prevention of body image disorders in both young female and male adults.

Revista Neurológica Argentina, 2003

Page 1. EVALUACION NEUROPSICOLOGICA DEL ENVEJECIMIENTO 149 ORIGINAL Revista Neurológica Argentina... more Page 1. EVALUACION NEUROPSICOLOGICA DEL ENVEJECIMIENTO 149 ORIGINAL Revista Neurológica Argentina 2003; 28: 149-152 ISSN 0325-0938 EVALUACIÓN NEUROPSICOLÓGICA DEL ENVEJECIMIENTO: NORMAS SEGÚN EDAD Y NIVEL EDUCACIONAL ...

Studies in perception and action VIII: …, 2005

Proceedings of the 30th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society. Austin, TX: Cognitive Science Society, 2008

Successful social coordination usually requires one person to be able to judge the limits and abi... more Successful social coordination usually requires one person to be able to judge the limits and abilities of another person. Two experiments investigating perception of the maximum height to which an actor could jump and reach were conducted. In both experiments those estimates were compared to estimates of the perceiver's own maximum jump-with-reach height. Results of Experiment 1 showed that perceptions for the self improved over time, in the absence of explicit feedback, but perceptions for the other actor ...

Studies in perception and action VIII, Jun 27, 2005

During social interaction, the behavior of interacting partners becomes coordinated. Although int... more During social interaction, the behavior of interacting partners becomes coordinated. Although interper- sonal coordination is well-studied in adults, relatively little is known about its development. In this project we explored how 2-, 3-, and 4-year-old children spontaneously coordinated their drumming with a peer. Results showed that all children adapted their drumming to their partner’s drumming by starting and stopping their drumming in a coordinated fashion, but only 4-year-olds adapted the rhythmic structure of their drumming to their partner’s drumming. In all age groups, children showed similarly stable drumming. Typically, it was 1 of the 2 children who initiated drumming throughout the session. The results of this study offer new insights into the development of interpersonal coordination abilities in early childhood.

What are the mapping mechanisms that enable people to synchronously imitate continuous action seq... more What are the mapping mechanisms that enable people to synchronously imitate continuous action sequences observed in others? We investigated this question in four experiments that used a tapping task where participants synchronously performed alternating bimanual hand movements with a model presented in an egocentric or allocentric orientation. Their task was to tap in synchrony, with each hand matching the movements of the ipsilateral model hand as closely as possible. The results show that automatic establishment of topological mappings, where the performer´s hand is mapped onto the model´s anatomically matching hand even if the two are spatially misaligned, can interfere with maintaining spatial mappings (Experiment 1 and 2). The interference was particularly strong in musicians who have expertise in establishing topological mappings in continuous performance (Experiment 4). Adopting an unusual body posture greatly interfered with establishing spatial as well as topological mappings (Experiment 3). Together the results suggest that synchronous imitation of continuous action sequences depends on flexible predictive models that simultaneously apply spatial and topological mapping constraints to enable an actor to act in synchrony with observed action sequences.

How do we map joint actions we participate in onto joint actions we observe others performing, su... more How do we map joint actions we participate in onto joint actions we observe others performing, such as when a couple dancing tango observes another couple dancing tango? We investigated this question using a task in which participants were instructed to perform individual or joint movements in synchrony with individual or joint movements observed on a computer screen. The observed movements started slowly and then continuously increased in tempo (from 1.75 Hz to 3 Hz). The results showed that, with regard to spatial parameters, joint performance was more accurate when observing joint action than when observing individual action . Individual performance was more accurate when observing individual action than when observing joint action (Experiments 3 and 4). There were no systematic differences with regard to timing parameters. These results suggest that mechanisms of temporal coordination may be less susceptible to differences between individual and joint action than mechanisms of spatial matching.

are either open (like forums, bulletin boards, Twitter, etc.) or direct (like emails). In this wo... more are either open (like forums, bulletin boards, Twitter, etc.) or direct (like emails). In this work, we study a dataset that has both types of communication channels. We relate our findings to theories of social organization and human dynamics. The data comprises 36,492 users of a movie discussion community. Our results show that there are differences in the way users communicate in the two channels that are reflected in the shape of degree-and interevent time distributions. The open communication that is designed to facilitate conversations with any member, shows a broader degree distribution and more of the triangles in the network are primarily formed in this mode of communication. The direct channel is presumably preferred by closer communication and the response time in dialogues is shorter. On a more coarse-grained level, there are common patterns in the two networks. The differences and overlaps between communication networks, thus, provide a unique window into how social and structural aspects of communication establish and evolve.

Cognition, 2008

It has been proposed that the ability to make sense of other agents’ behavior relies on the activ... more It has been proposed that the ability to make sense of other agents’ behavior relies on the activation of internal mechanisms that map action perception onto action execution. In this study we explored the constraints on this ability introduced by eyeheight-scaled information in the optic array. Short and tall participants provided maximum overhead reaching judgments for themselves and another participant. Perceptual information was manipulated by changing the participants’ optically specified eyeheight. Observers were modestly accurate in perceiving maximum overhead reach for themselves and for another actor whose action capabilities differed. Perceived maximum overhead reach increased for both self- and other-judgments when the perceiver’s eyeheight was increased. The results suggest an important role of perceptual information that has gone unrecognized in existing accounts of action understanding and prediction.

Frontiers in psychology, 2011

We present the perspective that interpersonal movement coordination results from establishing int... more We present the perspective that interpersonal movement coordination results from establishing interpersonal synergies. Interpersonal synergies are higher-order control systems formed by coupling movement system degrees of freedom of two (or more) actors. Characteristic features of synergies identified in studies of intrapersonal coordination - dimensional compression and reciprocal compensation - are revealed in studies of interpersonal coordination that applied the uncontrolled manifold approach and principal component analysis to interpersonal movement tasks. Broader implications of the interpersonal synergy approach for movement science include an expanded notion of mechanism and an emphasis on interaction-dominant dynamics.

Human movement science, 2012

In recent years, research in the field of social interactions has focused on the exploration of t... more In recent years, research in the field of social interactions has focused on the exploration of the coordinative structures that substantiate joint task performance. The current project explores whether interpersonal coordination during joint task performance gives rise to a joint coordinative structure across individuals, and whether such coordinative structures are affected by task demands. Principal component analysis (PCA) is used to identify relevant interpersonal and intrapersonal coordinative modes for the single and joint performance of a supra-postural task, which varied along its precision and role demands. In addition, cross-recurrence quantification analysis (CRQA) was combined with PCA in order to quantify the degree and stability of interpersonal coordination across intrapersonal coordinative modes. Results indicate that the composition and number of coordinative modes varied for joint compared to single performance, and that interpersonal coordination across the first coordinative mode increased in degree and stability for joint compared to single performance. Overall, these findings indicate that joint coordinative structures are affected by the nature of the task performed and the constraints it places on joint and single performance.

Psychological science, 2010

The notion that apparent sizes are perceived relative to the size of one's body is supported thro... more The notion that apparent sizes are perceived relative to the size of one's body is supported through the discovery of a new visual illusion. When graspable objects are magnified by wearing magnifying goggles, they appear to shrink back to near normal size when one's hand (also magnified) is placed next to them. When objects are minified by wearing minifying goggles, the opposite occurs. However, this change in apparent size does not occur when familiar objects or someone else's hand is placed next to the object. Presumably, objects' apparent sizes shift closer to their actual size when the hand is viewed, because object sizes relative to the hand are the same with or without the magnifying/minifying goggles. These findings highlight the role of body scaling in size perception.

Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 2008

The authors investigated how changes in action capabilities affect estimation of affordances for ... more The authors investigated how changes in action capabilities affect estimation of affordances for another actor. Observers estimated maximum jumping-reach height for themselves and another actor. Half of the observers wore ankle weights that reduced their jumping ability. The ankle weights reduced estimates of maximum jumping-reach height that observers made for themselves and for the other actor, but only after observers had the opportunity to walk while wearing the weights. Changes in estimates closely matched changes in actual jumping-reach ability. Results confirm and extend recent investigations that indicate that perception of the spatial layout of surfaces in the environment is scaled to an observer's capacity to act, and they link that approach to another embodied cognition perspective that posits a link between one's own action capabilities and perception of the actions of other agents.

Journal of Experimental Psychology-human Perception and Performance, 2008

Three experiments investigated the ability to perceive the maximum height to which another actor ... more Three experiments investigated the ability to perceive the maximum height to which another actor could jump to reach an object. Experiment 1 determined the accuracy of estimates for another actor's maximal reach-with-jump height and compared these estimates to estimates of the actor's standing maximal reaching height and to estimates of the perceiver's own maximal reaching and reach-with-jump height. Perception of another actor's maximum reach-with-jump height was less accurate than the other estimates, but still accurate to within 8% error. The actor's reach-with-jump height was modified in Experiment 2 by attaching weights around the actor's ankles. Perceivers, who were explicitly aware of the manipulation, adjusted their maximum reach-with-jump estimates for the actor accordingly. In Experiment 3, perceivers were not explicitly aware of the weight manipulation, but provided significantly lower maximum reach-with-jump estimates after watching the actor walk while wearing the weights compared to estimates obtained after watching the actor walk while not wearing the weights. The results suggest that the actor's walking pattern was informative about the actor's capacity to produce a different action, jumping to reach an object.

PLOS One, 2010

We understand the dynamics of the world around us as by associating pairs of events, where one ev... more We understand the dynamics of the world around us as by associating pairs of events, where one event has some influence on the other. These pairs of events can be aggregated into a web of memories representing our understanding of an episode of history. The events and the associations between them need not be directly experienced-they can also be acquired by communication. In this paper we take a network approach to study the dynamics of memories of history. First we investigate the network structure of a data set consisting of reported events by several individuals and how associations connect them. We focus our measurement on degree distributions, degree correlations, cycles (which represent inconsistencies as they would break the time ordering) and community structure. We proceed to model effects of communication using an agent-based model. We investigate the conditions for the memory webs of different individuals to converge to collective memories, how groups where the individuals have similar memories (but different from other groups) can form. Our work outlines how the cognitive representation of memories and social structure can co-evolve as a contagious process. We generate some testable hypotheses including that the number of groups is limited as a function of the total population size.

Experimental Brain Research, 2011

The authors determined the effects of changes in task demands on interpersonal and intrapersonal ... more The authors determined the effects of changes in task demands on interpersonal and intrapersonal coordination. Participants performed a joint task in which one participant held a stick to which a circle was attached at the top (holding role), while the other held a pointer through the circle without touching its borders (pointing role). Experiment 1 investigated whether interpersonal and intrapersonal coordination varied depending on task difficulty. Results showed that interpersonal and intrapersonal coordination increased in degree and stability with increments in task difficulty. Experiment 2 explored the effects of individual constraints by increasing the balance demands of the task (one or both members of the pair stood in a less stable tandem stance). Results showed that interpersonal coordination increased in degree and stability as joint task demands increased and that coupling strength varied depending on joint and individual task constraints. In all, results suggest that interpersonal and intrapersonal coordination are affected by the nature of the task performed and the constraints it places on joint and individual performance.

Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2012

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have known impairments in social and motor skil... more Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have known impairments in social and motor skills. Identifying putative underlying mechanisms of these impairments could lead to improved understanding of the etiology of core social/communicative deficits in ASDs, and identification of novel intervention targets. The ability to perceptually integrate one's physical capacities with one's environment (affordance perception) may be such a mechanism. This ability has been theorized to be impaired in ASDs, but this question has never been directly tested. Crucially, affordance perception has shown to be amenable to learning; thus, if it is implicated in deficits in ASDs, it may be a valuable unexplored intervention target. The present study compared affordance perception in adolescents and adults with ASDs to typically developing (TD) controls. Two groups of individuals (adolescents and adults) with ASDs and age-matched TD controls completed well-established action capability estimation tasks (reachability, graspability, and aperture passability). Their caregivers completed a measure of their lifetime social/communicative deficits. Compared with controls, individuals with ASDs showed unprecedented gross impairments in relating information about their bodies' action capabilities to visual information specifying the environment. The magnitude of these deficits strongly predicted the magnitude of social/communicative impairments in individuals with ASDs. Thus, social/communicative impairments in ASDs may derive, at least in part, from deficits in basic perceptual–motor processes (e.g. action capability estimation). Such deficits may impair the ability to maintain and calibrate the relationship between oneself and one's social and physical environments, and present fruitful, novel, and unexplored target for intervention. Autism Res 2012,5:352–362. © 2012 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

One of the consequences of the pandemic is that throughout 2020 virtual interactions largely repl... more One of the consequences of the pandemic is that throughout 2020 virtual interactions largely replaced face-to-face interactions. Though there are few studies of how social media impacts body image perception across genders, research suggests that socializing through a virtual self-body image might have distinct implications for men and women. In an online study, we examined whether type of social pressure and body-ideal exert distinct pressures on members of the X, Y, and Z generations. Results showed media pressure affected body image satisfaction significantly more than other kinds of social pressure across genders and generations, with young males reporting a higher impact compared to older males. Males experienced more pressure to be muscular and women to be thin, especially for the younger generation. Future research should focus on social media as a potential intervention tool for the detection and prevention of body image disorders in both young female and male adults.

Revista Neurológica Argentina, 2003

Page 1. EVALUACION NEUROPSICOLOGICA DEL ENVEJECIMIENTO 149 ORIGINAL Revista Neurológica Argentina... more Page 1. EVALUACION NEUROPSICOLOGICA DEL ENVEJECIMIENTO 149 ORIGINAL Revista Neurológica Argentina 2003; 28: 149-152 ISSN 0325-0938 EVALUACIÓN NEUROPSICOLÓGICA DEL ENVEJECIMIENTO: NORMAS SEGÚN EDAD Y NIVEL EDUCACIONAL ...

Studies in perception and action VIII: …, 2005

Proceedings of the 30th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society. Austin, TX: Cognitive Science Society, 2008

Successful social coordination usually requires one person to be able to judge the limits and abi... more Successful social coordination usually requires one person to be able to judge the limits and abilities of another person. Two experiments investigating perception of the maximum height to which an actor could jump and reach were conducted. In both experiments those estimates were compared to estimates of the perceiver's own maximum jump-with-reach height. Results of Experiment 1 showed that perceptions for the self improved over time, in the absence of explicit feedback, but perceptions for the other actor ...

Studies in perception and action VIII, Jun 27, 2005

During social interaction, the behavior of interacting partners becomes coordinated. Although int... more During social interaction, the behavior of interacting partners becomes coordinated. Although interper- sonal coordination is well-studied in adults, relatively little is known about its development. In this project we explored how 2-, 3-, and 4-year-old children spontaneously coordinated their drumming with a peer. Results showed that all children adapted their drumming to their partner’s drumming by starting and stopping their drumming in a coordinated fashion, but only 4-year-olds adapted the rhythmic structure of their drumming to their partner’s drumming. In all age groups, children showed similarly stable drumming. Typically, it was 1 of the 2 children who initiated drumming throughout the session. The results of this study offer new insights into the development of interpersonal coordination abilities in early childhood.

What are the mapping mechanisms that enable people to synchronously imitate continuous action seq... more What are the mapping mechanisms that enable people to synchronously imitate continuous action sequences observed in others? We investigated this question in four experiments that used a tapping task where participants synchronously performed alternating bimanual hand movements with a model presented in an egocentric or allocentric orientation. Their task was to tap in synchrony, with each hand matching the movements of the ipsilateral model hand as closely as possible. The results show that automatic establishment of topological mappings, where the performer´s hand is mapped onto the model´s anatomically matching hand even if the two are spatially misaligned, can interfere with maintaining spatial mappings (Experiment 1 and 2). The interference was particularly strong in musicians who have expertise in establishing topological mappings in continuous performance (Experiment 4). Adopting an unusual body posture greatly interfered with establishing spatial as well as topological mappings (Experiment 3). Together the results suggest that synchronous imitation of continuous action sequences depends on flexible predictive models that simultaneously apply spatial and topological mapping constraints to enable an actor to act in synchrony with observed action sequences.

How do we map joint actions we participate in onto joint actions we observe others performing, su... more How do we map joint actions we participate in onto joint actions we observe others performing, such as when a couple dancing tango observes another couple dancing tango? We investigated this question using a task in which participants were instructed to perform individual or joint movements in synchrony with individual or joint movements observed on a computer screen. The observed movements started slowly and then continuously increased in tempo (from 1.75 Hz to 3 Hz). The results showed that, with regard to spatial parameters, joint performance was more accurate when observing joint action than when observing individual action . Individual performance was more accurate when observing individual action than when observing joint action (Experiments 3 and 4). There were no systematic differences with regard to timing parameters. These results suggest that mechanisms of temporal coordination may be less susceptible to differences between individual and joint action than mechanisms of spatial matching.

are either open (like forums, bulletin boards, Twitter, etc.) or direct (like emails). In this wo... more are either open (like forums, bulletin boards, Twitter, etc.) or direct (like emails). In this work, we study a dataset that has both types of communication channels. We relate our findings to theories of social organization and human dynamics. The data comprises 36,492 users of a movie discussion community. Our results show that there are differences in the way users communicate in the two channels that are reflected in the shape of degree-and interevent time distributions. The open communication that is designed to facilitate conversations with any member, shows a broader degree distribution and more of the triangles in the network are primarily formed in this mode of communication. The direct channel is presumably preferred by closer communication and the response time in dialogues is shorter. On a more coarse-grained level, there are common patterns in the two networks. The differences and overlaps between communication networks, thus, provide a unique window into how social and structural aspects of communication establish and evolve.

Cognition, 2008

It has been proposed that the ability to make sense of other agents’ behavior relies on the activ... more It has been proposed that the ability to make sense of other agents’ behavior relies on the activation of internal mechanisms that map action perception onto action execution. In this study we explored the constraints on this ability introduced by eyeheight-scaled information in the optic array. Short and tall participants provided maximum overhead reaching judgments for themselves and another participant. Perceptual information was manipulated by changing the participants’ optically specified eyeheight. Observers were modestly accurate in perceiving maximum overhead reach for themselves and for another actor whose action capabilities differed. Perceived maximum overhead reach increased for both self- and other-judgments when the perceiver’s eyeheight was increased. The results suggest an important role of perceptual information that has gone unrecognized in existing accounts of action understanding and prediction.

Frontiers in psychology, 2011

We present the perspective that interpersonal movement coordination results from establishing int... more We present the perspective that interpersonal movement coordination results from establishing interpersonal synergies. Interpersonal synergies are higher-order control systems formed by coupling movement system degrees of freedom of two (or more) actors. Characteristic features of synergies identified in studies of intrapersonal coordination - dimensional compression and reciprocal compensation - are revealed in studies of interpersonal coordination that applied the uncontrolled manifold approach and principal component analysis to interpersonal movement tasks. Broader implications of the interpersonal synergy approach for movement science include an expanded notion of mechanism and an emphasis on interaction-dominant dynamics.

Human movement science, 2012

In recent years, research in the field of social interactions has focused on the exploration of t... more In recent years, research in the field of social interactions has focused on the exploration of the coordinative structures that substantiate joint task performance. The current project explores whether interpersonal coordination during joint task performance gives rise to a joint coordinative structure across individuals, and whether such coordinative structures are affected by task demands. Principal component analysis (PCA) is used to identify relevant interpersonal and intrapersonal coordinative modes for the single and joint performance of a supra-postural task, which varied along its precision and role demands. In addition, cross-recurrence quantification analysis (CRQA) was combined with PCA in order to quantify the degree and stability of interpersonal coordination across intrapersonal coordinative modes. Results indicate that the composition and number of coordinative modes varied for joint compared to single performance, and that interpersonal coordination across the first coordinative mode increased in degree and stability for joint compared to single performance. Overall, these findings indicate that joint coordinative structures are affected by the nature of the task performed and the constraints it places on joint and single performance.

Psychological science, 2010

The notion that apparent sizes are perceived relative to the size of one's body is supported thro... more The notion that apparent sizes are perceived relative to the size of one's body is supported through the discovery of a new visual illusion. When graspable objects are magnified by wearing magnifying goggles, they appear to shrink back to near normal size when one's hand (also magnified) is placed next to them. When objects are minified by wearing minifying goggles, the opposite occurs. However, this change in apparent size does not occur when familiar objects or someone else's hand is placed next to the object. Presumably, objects' apparent sizes shift closer to their actual size when the hand is viewed, because object sizes relative to the hand are the same with or without the magnifying/minifying goggles. These findings highlight the role of body scaling in size perception.

Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 2008

The authors investigated how changes in action capabilities affect estimation of affordances for ... more The authors investigated how changes in action capabilities affect estimation of affordances for another actor. Observers estimated maximum jumping-reach height for themselves and another actor. Half of the observers wore ankle weights that reduced their jumping ability. The ankle weights reduced estimates of maximum jumping-reach height that observers made for themselves and for the other actor, but only after observers had the opportunity to walk while wearing the weights. Changes in estimates closely matched changes in actual jumping-reach ability. Results confirm and extend recent investigations that indicate that perception of the spatial layout of surfaces in the environment is scaled to an observer's capacity to act, and they link that approach to another embodied cognition perspective that posits a link between one's own action capabilities and perception of the actions of other agents.

Journal of Experimental Psychology-human Perception and Performance, 2008

Three experiments investigated the ability to perceive the maximum height to which another actor ... more Three experiments investigated the ability to perceive the maximum height to which another actor could jump to reach an object. Experiment 1 determined the accuracy of estimates for another actor's maximal reach-with-jump height and compared these estimates to estimates of the actor's standing maximal reaching height and to estimates of the perceiver's own maximal reaching and reach-with-jump height. Perception of another actor's maximum reach-with-jump height was less accurate than the other estimates, but still accurate to within 8% error. The actor's reach-with-jump height was modified in Experiment 2 by attaching weights around the actor's ankles. Perceivers, who were explicitly aware of the manipulation, adjusted their maximum reach-with-jump estimates for the actor accordingly. In Experiment 3, perceivers were not explicitly aware of the weight manipulation, but provided significantly lower maximum reach-with-jump estimates after watching the actor walk while wearing the weights compared to estimates obtained after watching the actor walk while not wearing the weights. The results suggest that the actor's walking pattern was informative about the actor's capacity to produce a different action, jumping to reach an object.

PLOS One, 2010

We understand the dynamics of the world around us as by associating pairs of events, where one ev... more We understand the dynamics of the world around us as by associating pairs of events, where one event has some influence on the other. These pairs of events can be aggregated into a web of memories representing our understanding of an episode of history. The events and the associations between them need not be directly experienced-they can also be acquired by communication. In this paper we take a network approach to study the dynamics of memories of history. First we investigate the network structure of a data set consisting of reported events by several individuals and how associations connect them. We focus our measurement on degree distributions, degree correlations, cycles (which represent inconsistencies as they would break the time ordering) and community structure. We proceed to model effects of communication using an agent-based model. We investigate the conditions for the memory webs of different individuals to converge to collective memories, how groups where the individuals have similar memories (but different from other groups) can form. Our work outlines how the cognitive representation of memories and social structure can co-evolve as a contagious process. We generate some testable hypotheses including that the number of groups is limited as a function of the total population size.

Experimental Brain Research, 2011

The authors determined the effects of changes in task demands on interpersonal and intrapersonal ... more The authors determined the effects of changes in task demands on interpersonal and intrapersonal coordination. Participants performed a joint task in which one participant held a stick to which a circle was attached at the top (holding role), while the other held a pointer through the circle without touching its borders (pointing role). Experiment 1 investigated whether interpersonal and intrapersonal coordination varied depending on task difficulty. Results showed that interpersonal and intrapersonal coordination increased in degree and stability with increments in task difficulty. Experiment 2 explored the effects of individual constraints by increasing the balance demands of the task (one or both members of the pair stood in a less stable tandem stance). Results showed that interpersonal coordination increased in degree and stability as joint task demands increased and that coupling strength varied depending on joint and individual task constraints. In all, results suggest that interpersonal and intrapersonal coordination are affected by the nature of the task performed and the constraints it places on joint and individual performance.

Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2012

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have known impairments in social and motor skil... more Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have known impairments in social and motor skills. Identifying putative underlying mechanisms of these impairments could lead to improved understanding of the etiology of core social/communicative deficits in ASDs, and identification of novel intervention targets. The ability to perceptually integrate one's physical capacities with one's environment (affordance perception) may be such a mechanism. This ability has been theorized to be impaired in ASDs, but this question has never been directly tested. Crucially, affordance perception has shown to be amenable to learning; thus, if it is implicated in deficits in ASDs, it may be a valuable unexplored intervention target. The present study compared affordance perception in adolescents and adults with ASDs to typically developing (TD) controls. Two groups of individuals (adolescents and adults) with ASDs and age-matched TD controls completed well-established action capability estimation tasks (reachability, graspability, and aperture passability). Their caregivers completed a measure of their lifetime social/communicative deficits. Compared with controls, individuals with ASDs showed unprecedented gross impairments in relating information about their bodies' action capabilities to visual information specifying the environment. The magnitude of these deficits strongly predicted the magnitude of social/communicative impairments in individuals with ASDs. Thus, social/communicative impairments in ASDs may derive, at least in part, from deficits in basic perceptual–motor processes (e.g. action capability estimation). Such deficits may impair the ability to maintain and calibrate the relationship between oneself and one's social and physical environments, and present fruitful, novel, and unexplored target for intervention. Autism Res 2012,5:352–362. © 2012 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.