Error recognition in stroke patients: the role of perspective and social context

Acting in complex environments like the social world implies failures and errors through which, however, we can learn to regulate motor behavior and interpersonal exchanges. Detecting errors in one’s own and in others’ actions is a crucial ability for motor and social learning and for implementing flexible behaviors. The aim of the study is to understand error detection mechanisms in stroke patients, focusing on the potential modulatory role of perspective of observation (first- and third-person perspective) and social context. To investigate these issues, we designed an experiment aimed at comparing the performance of right- and left-brain damaged (RBD, LBD) patients and healthy controls(HC) in an error recognition task. The paradigm consists of the observation of incomplete videos of grasping movements (correct and incorrect) showing a hand moving towards an object. To differentiate error recognition for self and others’ actions, the videos are presented in first-person perspective and in third-person perspective (90 degrees rotation with respect to participants’ point of view). To address the effects of social context, participants are presented with videos of actions directed towards the object (non-social condition) and videos where the object is held by another actor (social condition). Participants are asked to judge the observed movements as correct or incorrect and to rate the correctness of the movements through a Visual Analogue Scale (0=completely incorrect; 100=completely correct). Data collected from 10 patients will be analyzed, comparing the performance of RBD patients, after controlling for the level of awareness for motor deficits, LBD patients, and HC.