Projects
A Functional-Cognitive Perspective on Social Modulation of Imitation in Individuals With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder Ghent University
Imitation plays a central role in our social life, by causing us to behave prosocially and facilitating social interaction. In line with its social function, it has been argued that imitation should be modulated by social factors relevant for social interaction and disrupted in people with social deficits, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, research on both hypotheses has provided inconsistent results. We propose that these ...
A Functional-Cognitive Perspective on Social Modulation of Imitation in Individuals With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder Ghent University
Evidence on social modulation of imitation is mixed and inconclusive, due to the absence of a strong theoretical framework and low ecological validity of previous studies. With this project, we aim to resolve both issues, by combining a functional-cognitive framework with an ecologically valid virtual-reality task, to investigate social modulation of imitation in individuals with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder.
A reliable and valid protocol for assessing action observation and imitation abilities in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder Hasselt University
Human Imitation for Autonomous Driving Comfort KU Leuven
The PhD project aims at developing a methodology to systematically include a user-specific driving style into Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) development, providing both safe and personalized driving. The study relies on real vehicle demonstrations performed by the considered user and mixed-real virtual design and testing. The approach should be easily adapted to various automated driving tasks with minimal use of domain knowledge, ...
Imitation or differentiation? Documentary writing practices in the exercise of secular governance in Flanders and adjacent territories during the 'pragmatische Wende' of the late twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Ghent University
This project will investigate how and to what extent ‘pragmatic literacy’ — or the competences of reading and writing required to develop and run an administration based on written documents — gradually disseminated among secular governors and their collaborators during late 12th and 13th centuries, a period which is considered as the catalytic phase for the emergence and spread of this phenomenon.
Anticipated Imitation Ghent University
It is widely known that observing an action automatically triggers a corresponding motor
representation in the observer. There is an ongoing debate, however, about the exact mechanism that underlies such imitative response tendencies. We recently showed that imitative response tendencies can occur on the basis of an anticipated rather than an observed action. Seeing someone wrinkling the nose, for example, triggers the anticipated ...
Control of imitation and social cognition: the interaction of motor mirroring and theory of mind Ghent University
Recent work based on ideomotor theory and Ihe discovery of the mirror neuron system has suggested that Ihe observalion
of an action is associated with Ihe aclivalion of the corresponding motor representation in the observer. In accordance with
this hypothesis it has been demonstrated that observing an action interferes with one's own actions when these are different
from those being observed. This. however. ...
Imitation, understanding of intengionality and joint attention in autism spectrum disorders: mutual connections and the role of the mirror neuron system Ghent University
Imitation, understanding of intentionality and joint attention are early deficits in autism spectrum disorders, and have also been linked to the mirror neuron system. The current research investigates possible malfunctions of the mirror neuron system in young children with autism spectrum disorder, and the relation to their problems in imitation, understanding of intentionality and joint attention.
Biogeochemical impact of land-use intensification and its legacy effects on tropical forest recovery through cation limitation Ghent University
Biogeochemistry directs ecological recovery of secondary forests, and thereby impacts the rate of carbon accumulation along succession. Recent observations suggest that cations (calcium, magnesium, potassium) limit forest productivity in the tropics, although research to date has largely focused on nitrogen and phosphorus. Moreover, the intensification of land-use change impacts cation availability at the onset of succession, likely further ...