Social stimuli are considered unique and are processed differently from non-social stimuli. Biological Movement (BM) is a social stimulus that is biologically relevant and able to implicitly capture our attention (Bonventre et al., 2025). In a gaze cueing-like paradigm, social stimuli such as gaze or tongue are detected faster if their position of appearance differs from the direction they indicate (invalid trials), resulting in a Reversed Spatial Congruency Effect (RCE) (Tanaka et al., 2023). However non-social stimuli such as arrows are detected faster in valid trials (Standard Spatial Congruency Effect, SCE) (Marotta, et al, 2018). These effects correspond to different late neural responses. Interestingly, other social stimuli, such as pointing (Bonventre & Marotta, 2023; Dalmaso et al., 2023) or head (Tanaka & Okubo, 2024), do not produce RCE. Two theoretical approaches attempted to explain this evidence, based on the social relevance of the stimuli or on perceptual factors related to the task. This latter approach attributes the RCE to a delayed target-background segregation and selective attention processes. As a perceptually impoverished stimulus, we introduced BM as target to elucidate the underlying processes of conflict generation and the associated neural correlates. We recorded the electroencephalographic activity of 32 healthy right-handed subjects performing a modified gaze cueing paradigm in which either arrows or BM stimuli in the form of Point Light Walkers (PLWs) were presented. The movement of PLWs and the arrows could be directed towards the same or the opposite side of the one they were being presented on (valid vs invalid trials). Behavioural results indicate higher performance for valid trials than for invalid trials, and for arrows than for BM. According to previous findings, we expect BM and arrows to have similar effects during the early stages of processing and opposite effects during the later stages (N2 and P3).
The processing of social vs non-social cues: does biological movement elicit reversed congruency effect?
Bonventre S.;Niglia L. T.;Brunetti M.
2026-01-01
Abstract
Social stimuli are considered unique and are processed differently from non-social stimuli. Biological Movement (BM) is a social stimulus that is biologically relevant and able to implicitly capture our attention (Bonventre et al., 2025). In a gaze cueing-like paradigm, social stimuli such as gaze or tongue are detected faster if their position of appearance differs from the direction they indicate (invalid trials), resulting in a Reversed Spatial Congruency Effect (RCE) (Tanaka et al., 2023). However non-social stimuli such as arrows are detected faster in valid trials (Standard Spatial Congruency Effect, SCE) (Marotta, et al, 2018). These effects correspond to different late neural responses. Interestingly, other social stimuli, such as pointing (Bonventre & Marotta, 2023; Dalmaso et al., 2023) or head (Tanaka & Okubo, 2024), do not produce RCE. Two theoretical approaches attempted to explain this evidence, based on the social relevance of the stimuli or on perceptual factors related to the task. This latter approach attributes the RCE to a delayed target-background segregation and selective attention processes. As a perceptually impoverished stimulus, we introduced BM as target to elucidate the underlying processes of conflict generation and the associated neural correlates. We recorded the electroencephalographic activity of 32 healthy right-handed subjects performing a modified gaze cueing paradigm in which either arrows or BM stimuli in the form of Point Light Walkers (PLWs) were presented. The movement of PLWs and the arrows could be directed towards the same or the opposite side of the one they were being presented on (valid vs invalid trials). Behavioural results indicate higher performance for valid trials than for invalid trials, and for arrows than for BM. According to previous findings, we expect BM and arrows to have similar effects during the early stages of processing and opposite effects during the later stages (N2 and P3).I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
