Brain Sci. 2012, 2(2), 130-146; doi:10.3390/brainsci2020130
Review

Unconscious Effects of Action on Perception

Veronika Halász 1,* email and Ross Cunnington 1,2 email
1 Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia 2 School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 19 December 2011; in revised form: 3 April 2012 / Accepted: 9 April 2012 / Published: 16 April 2012
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Brain Knows More than It Admits: The Control of Cognition and Emotion by Non-Conscious Processes)
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Abstract: We spend much of our life predicting the future. This involves developing theories and making predictions about others’ intentions, goals and about the consequences of the actions we are observing. Adapting our actions and behaviours to the environment is required for achieving our goals, and to do this the motor system relies on input from sensory modalities. However, recent theories suggest that the link between motor and perceptual areas is bidirectional, and that predictions based on planned or intended actions can unconsciously influence and modify our perception. In the following review we describe current theories on the link between action and perception, and examine the ways in which the motor system can unconsciously alter our perception.
Keywords: perception; action understanding; motor system; predictive coding

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MDPI and ACS Style

Halász, V.; Cunnington, R. Unconscious Effects of Action on Perception. Brain Sci. 2012, 2, 130-146.

AMA Style

Halász V, Cunnington R. Unconscious Effects of Action on Perception. Brain Sciences. 2012; 2(2):130-146.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Halász, Veronika; Cunnington, Ross. 2012. "Unconscious Effects of Action on Perception." Brain Sci. 2, no. 2: 130-146.

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