The 25th Bartlett Lecture. To act or not to act: perspectives on the representation of actions

Q J Exp Psychol A. 1999 Feb;52(1):1-29. doi: 10.1080/713755803.

Abstract

In this review, a description is offered of the way actions are represented, how these representations are built, and how their content can be accessed by the agent and by other agents. Such a description will appear critical for understanding how an action is attributed to its proper origin, or, in other words, how a subject can make a conscious judgement about who the agent of that action is (an agency judgement). This question is central to the problem of self-consciousness: Action is one of the main channels used for communication between individuals, so that determining the agent of an action contributes to differentiating the self from others.

Publication types

  • Lecture
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Brain / physiology
  • Consciousness*
  • Ego*
  • Humans
  • Psychomotor Performance*