The causal functional role of action-effect bindings: An electrophysiological and brain stimulation analysis

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Christian Beste, since 9/2023
• Subject Area: General, Cognitive and Mathematical Psychology ; Biological Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 393269228

The major goal of the proposed project within FOR 2790 consists in the identification of the functional role of action effect bindings (AEBs). This goal falls into three subgoals that we will try to reach by means of four larger-scale experiments. The first subgoal will consist in the comparison of visual and tactile action effects in the frequency-tagging design of Dignath et al. (2020) to determine the loci of tactile action-effect codes and to test whether the neurophysiological indicators of the use of AEBs are comparable for effects coded by both sensory modalities. The second subgoal will consist in our attempt to provide the first empirical evidence for a causal role of AEBs in action control using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to functionally lesion the neuroanatomical loci of the action-effect codes. The third subgoal consists in developing a theoretical understanding of the observation that action-effect codes seem to be inhibited until the corresponding action has been carried out. With respect to the BRAC framework that is guiding the research in this DFG Research Group, the proposed research project focus on the Retrieval of Response-Effect bindings (AEBs). In addition, it will also assess how this retrieval process and the retrieved action plan affects the processing of a stimulus (the Go signal), which means that we will also obtain some insights into the Binding process related to that stimulus. The current project contributes to specifying BRACs scope and to provide insights into neurophysiological underpinnings of binding and retrieval.

• DFG Programme: Research Units
• Subproject of: FOR 2790: Binding and Retrieval in Action Control
• Co-Investigator: Professor Dr. Christian Frings
• Ehemaliger Antragsteller: Professor Dr. Bernhard Hommel, until 8/2023