Visuo-motor interference is modulated by task interactivity: A kinematic study.

Extensive evidence shows that action observation can influence action execution, a phenomenon often referred to as visuo-motor interference. Little is known about whether this effect can be modulated by the type of interaction agents are involved in, as different studies show conflicting results. In the present study, we aimed at shedding light on this question by recording and analyzing the kinematic unfolding of reach-to-grasp movements performed in interactive and noninteractive settings. Using a machine learning approach, we investigated whether the extent of visuo-motor interference would be enhanced or reduced in two different joint action settings compared with a noninteractive one. Our results reveal that the detrimental effect of visuo-motor interference is reduced when the action performed by the partner is relevant to achieve a common goal, regardless of whether this goal requires to produce a concrete sensory outcome in the environment (joint outcome condition) or only a joint movement configuration (joint movement condition). These findings support the idea that during joint actions we form dyadic motor plans, in which both our own and our partner's actions are represented in predictive terms and in light of the common goal to be achieved. The formation of a dyadic motor plan might allow agents to shift from the automatic simulation of an observed action to the active prediction of the consequences of a partner's action. Overall, our results demonstrate the unavoidable impact of others' action on our motor behavior in social contexts, and how strongly this effect can be modulated by task interactivity.

Impacts of health-related school closures on child protection outcomes: A review of evidence from past pandemics and epidemics and lessons learned for COVID-19.

Through a rapid review drawing on pandemics and epidemics with associated school closures, this article aims to understand first, the state of the evidence on impacts of school closures on select child protection outcomes and second, how governments have responded to school closures to protect the most vulnerable children. Only 21 studies out of 6433 reviewed met the inclusion criteria, with most studies exploring the effects of Ebola. While few studies were identified on harmful practices, a more robust evidence base was identified in regards to adolescent pregnancy, with studies pointing to its increase due to the epidemic or infection control measures, including school closures. The evidence base for studies exploring the impact on violence outcomes was limited, with sexual violence and exploitation located in a few studies on Ebola. Important lessons from this exercise can be applied to the COVID-19 response, particularly the inclusion of the most vulnerable children in programming, policy and further research.

Wired actions: Anticipatory kinematic interference during a dyadic sequential motor interaction task.

The anticipation of other people's movements activates our motor system. Does this motor activation affect our own movement unfolding? We investigated whether performing a movement before the other might elicit a motor interference effect, similar to the one that occurs during action observation. Pairs of participants performed a sequential motor task together. While the first agent's task was kept constant throughout the entire experiment, the actions of the second agent varied depending on the size and the position of his or her target. Results showed that the movement kinematics of the first agent were influenced by the anticipation of the subsequent action of the second agent. Furthermore, we found a high kinematic similarity between agents that were part of the same pair, compared to that of artificial pairs created after data collection. These findings suggest that, during dyadic interactions, our motor behavior is influenced not only by what action our partner will perform, but also by how our partner will perform that action. The specificity of this kinematic interference may arise from a detailed, predictive representation of the other's action, which could be refined, through time and practice, during the course of the interaction. These novel findings further the investigation about the processes that underlie our everyday motor interactions, as they suggest that the motor system is highly permeable to others' movements. Such permeability may not only be due to a passive reaction to the others' movements, but also to an active prediction of the others' specific way of moving. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).