The experiments in this article probe how perspective and personal pronouns shape those internal reenactments. Using images that show actions from a first-person or third-person viewpoint and pairing them with verbs, the researchers tested whether visual and motor experience speed up word processing. Their findings point to stronger, faster simulation when the view aligns with how we actually perform actions, especially when an image implies first-person control. Personal pronouns combine with perspective to tune the motor signals the brain brings to the task.
For anyone curious about learning, rehabilitation, or inclusive design, these results suggest concrete ways to prime action systems through language and imagery. How might first-person perspectives be used in classrooms, virtual training, or therapy to strengthen learning and recovery? Follow the link to see the experiments and consider what this means for designing experiences that help people build skills and confidence.
Abstract
The theory of embodied simulation posits that semantic processing related to actions involves the simulation of sensorimotor experiences, similar to action recognition, which also activates the action observation network. Visual and action experiences obtained through vision and proprioception can facilitate the processing of action verbs via this simulation process. However, the differential effects of these two types of action representations on the processing of action verbs remain to be explored. This study uses an action–language priming paradigm and three behavioral experiments to explore how visual and action experiences from different perspectives affect sensorimotor simulation in action verb processing. Experiment 1 studied how action image perspectives (first-person vs. third-person) and image-word congruency affect action verb priming. Experiment 2 examined the role of the action agent in perspective priming. Experiment 3 investigated that motor experience congruency, jointly activated by visual perspective and personal pronouns, influences action verb processing. Experiment 1 showed faster action verb processing with the first-person perspective (1PP) during prime–target incongruency and non-mirrored conditions, indicating better action control and prediction, enhancing sensorimotor simulation. Experiment 2 found faster responses with the 1PP during incongruency, with no effect from the action agent on sensorimotor simulation. Experiment 3 showed faster reaction times for prime–target congruency than incongruency, with no effect of perspective congruency. These results show that action verb processing involves simulating sensorimotor experiences from specific perspectives, emphasizing the key role of action experience and offering new evidence for action verb representation theories.
