The Magic Grasp: Motor Expertise in Deception

Cavina-Pratesi, C.; Kuhn, Gustav; Ietswaart, M. and Milner, A. D.. 2011. The Magic Grasp: Motor Expertise in Deception. PLoS ONE, 6(2), e16568-e16568. ISSN 1932-6203 [Article]

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Abstract or Description

Background

Most of us are poor at faking actions. Kinematic studies have shown that when pretending to pick up imagined objects (pantomimed actions), we move and shape our hands quite differently from when grasping real ones. These differences between real and pantomimed actions have been linked to separate brain pathways specialized for different kinds of visuomotor guidance. Yet professional magicians regularly use pantomimed actions to deceive audiences.
Methodology and Principal Findings

In this study, we tested whether, despite their skill, magicians might still show kinematic differences between grasping actions made toward real versus imagined objects. We found that their pantomimed actions in fact closely resembled real grasps when the object was visible (but displaced) (Experiment 1), but failed to do so when the object was absent (Experiment 2).
Conclusions and Significance

We suggest that although the occipito-parietal visuomotor system in the dorsal stream is designed to guide goal-directed actions, prolonged practice may enable it to calibrate actions based on visual inputs displaced from the action.

Item Type:

Article

Identification Number (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0016568

Additional Information:

Times Cited: 2 Cavina-Pratesi, Cristiana Kuhn, Gustav Ietswaart, Magdalena Milner, A. David

Departments, Centres and Research Units:

Psychology
Research Office > REF2014

Dates:

DateEvent
2011Published

Item ID:

8256

Date Deposited:

19 Jun 2013 10:52

Last Modified:

19 Nov 2020 11:31

Peer Reviewed:

Yes, this version has been peer-reviewed.

URI:

https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/8256

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