Whose memory is it anyway? Joint action effects on working memory and attention
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Birmingham
Department Name: School of Psychology
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Organisations
Publications
He X
(2011)
Interpersonal memory-based guidance of attention is reduced for ingroup members.
in Experimental brain research
Humphreys GW
(2011)
The relations between joint action and theory of mind: a neuropsychological analysis.
in Experimental brain research
| Description | The project developed a new methodology for examining how joint action between two individuals (performing a common or parallel tasks) modulates their memory and attention. We have shown that irrelevant information being held in memory by one person can modulate the joint actor's attenton - even when the memory stimuli are not relevant to the subsequent attentional task. This joint memory effect is itself contingent on the group relationship between the individuals - increasing when individuals are part of a common group. The work shows that joint action can strongly modulate attention even when the information being coded is not task relevant - providing evidence for strongly automatic influences in combined action scenarios. |
| Exploitation Route | The work is basic science - providing proof of principle for the automaticity of joint action effects. However, since the specific effects are constrianed by the experimental procedure, the work is less relevant to real-world applicaitons. The grant has led to two publications to date and a set of other papers are currently being prepared for high quality journals. We have disseminated the work at five international conferences. |