The interaction between embodiment and empathy in facial expression recognition

Abstract

Previous research has demonstrated that the Action-Observation Network (AON) is involved in both emotional-embodiment (empathy) and action-embodiment mechanisms. In this study, we hypothesized that interfering with the AON will impair action recognition and that this impairment will be modulated by empathy levels. In Experiment 1 (n = 90), participants were asked to recognize facial expressions while their facial motion was restricted. In Experiment 2 (n = 50), we interfered with the AON by applying transcranial Direct Current Stimulation to the motor cortex. In both experiments, we found that interfering with the AON impaired the performance of participants with high empathy levels; however, for the first time, we demonstrated that the interference enhanced the performance of participants with low empathy. This novel finding suggests that the embodiment module may be flexible, and that it can be enhanced in individuals with low empathy by simple manipulation of motor activation.

Null tDCS Effects in a Sustained Attention Task: The Modulating Role of Learning

“…Within this matter, since hyperactivity is the only sub-component that was not influenced by task repetition, it is important to consider the interaction between neuronal activation state (due to enrolling in the task) and the neuronal effect induced by the tDCS itself. The effect of non-invasive brain stimulation techniques is not always linear, it can vary due to task related processes and individual differences ( Romei et al, 2016 ; Silvanto and Cattaneo, 2017 ; Jospe et al, 2018 ). Bortoletto et al (2015) have demonstrated that anodal tDCS of the right motor cortex while performing a task that induced learning (through high neural activation state), hindered performances.…”

Neural Underpinnings of the Perception of Emotional States Derived From Biological Human Motion: A Review of Neuroimaging Research

“…This involvement of AON-associated structures suggests that observing emotional movements might be mediated by a mental simulation process that draws on own motor representations of such movements in order to make sense of them. In this context, it is worth noting that a recent study by Jospe et al (2018) has emphasized that this simulation process correlates with personality traits such as individual empathy levels. Their results showed that participants with high empathy scores utilize the embodiment or simulation process more optimally than participants with low empathy scores.…”

Group membership dictates the neural correlates of social optimism biases

“…secondary somatosensory cortex) could be successfully linked with the magnitude of the desirability bias. That empathy could be the mechanism underlying the desirability bias for the mild out-group receives further support from the demonstration of causal links between the supramarginal gyrus and empathic responses in studies of transcranial magnetic stimulation (primary somatosensory cortex 110,111 , the right supramarginal gyrus 91,112,113 , motor cortex 92,114 ), and transcranial direct current stimulation (right supramarginal gyrus [115][116][117][118][119] and motor cortex 93 ).…”

“…These findings strongly suggest that the warm out-group is unique among all out-groups 66,67,70,84 . We thus expected that the desirability bias would manifest for a warm (and not competent) out-group target and could be traced to regions associated with compassion and empathic concern (H2), such as the posterior insula [85][86][87] , the somatosensory cortices [85][86][87][88][89][90][91] , the cingulate cortex 87,89 , and potentially the motor cortices 92,93 . The desirability bias for the cold out-groups, on the other hand, would be associated with the brain activity in a network of regions associated with stereotypical thinking (H3), e.g.…”