In groundbreaking research, scientists have discovered that the human brain relies more on internal predictive processes than sensory input when observing the actions of others. This finding stands in contrast to the classical view of visual perception as the primary driver of the understanding of others’ actions. The study, which utilized intracranial EEG in epilepsy patients, provided high-precision measurements of brain activity, revealing a preference for predictions originating from the motor system over direct visual cues during the observation of predictable action sequences.
During this study, research subjects watched videos of various everyday actions, such as breakfast preparation or folding a shirt. Fascinatingly, the researchers found that the brain’s information flow varied depending on the predictability of the action sequences. When subjects observed predictable action sequences, their brain activity indicated a shift of information flow from visual regions to premotor regions, corresponding to predictions derived from the subjects’ own motor system. This supports the notion that our brains rely on a predictive nature and actively predict what should happen next while observing others’ actions. The researchers’ findings challenge the previous common belief that visual brain regions first interpret observed actions, followed by the activation of premotor regions.
The educational advantage of the study is that it provides an in-depth view into the predictive coding involved in the action observation network. This finding also contributes to a wider understanding in the neuroscience community, shifting focus from a reactive brain to a predictive brain, which filters and processes information based on prior expectations. The research may also have broader applications, particularly in enhancing our understanding of social interactions and cognitive processes that underlie them.
