Representing relations between individual contributions

When does joint action planning facilitate task performance

Bibliographic Data

ID21533008
AuthorsKassandra Friebe (0000-0002-6208-3310, Central European University, corresponding author), Natalie Sebanz (0000-0003-1280-8974, Central European University), Günther Knoblich (0000-0003-4463-5318, Central European University)
Year2026
Volume90
Issue2
Publication date2026-04-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePsychological Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0340-0727 • E-ISSN: 1430-2772
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s00426-026-02269-7
PMID41774210
OpenAlexW7133344528
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited43

Understanding how individuals plan, predict and adapt their actions is central to understanding the high degree of coordination involved in joint action. While previous research has examined the role of joint action plans in linking individual action representations in a two-person joint action plan, the specific conditions and representations associated with these plans are less well understood. In this study, we investigated when and how joint action plans that specify the relations between individual contributions facilitate performance in a joint task. We hypothesized that joint action plans serve to organize individual contributions to a joint action by specifying the relations between them. Pairs of participants performed a joint computer task that required flipping blocks to produce a joint pattern. We manipulated the availability and information provided by two types of pre-cues: joint cues specified the relation between individual contributions and individual cues specified each participant’s individual part. The results of three experiments showed that information regarding the relation between individual contributions helped co-actors integrate representations of their individual contributions. This is evidenced by faster response times when a joint cue was presented together with a cue specifying the partner’s action. Moreover, joint cues could be used to compensate for the lack of information about individual contributions, as evidenced by faster response times when a joint cue was presented in trials without information about individual contributions. We conclude that joint action plans that specify the relations between individual contributions serve to organize representations of individual contributions and thereby help co-actors infer their own underspecified contribution to a joint action

Joint attention · Perception · Action Observation and Synchronization · Child and Animal Learning Development · Motor Control and Adaptation

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