Die Fähigkeiten Von Athleten Verändert Deren Handlungs- Wahrnehmung Von Handlungen " Embodiment " Der Visuellen Wahrnehmung Von Menschlichen Bewegungen

How does the human visual system detect and interpret human actions? Traditional models of the visual system suggest that the same set of visual processes is used by all observers to analyze all classes of visual images. This theoretical framework predicts that observers, whether paralyzed or athletic, analyze and perceive objects and actions similarly. Embodied theories of perception assert that visual processes are constrained by an observer’s motor abilities. According to this approach, what one sees is determined by what one can physically do. Furthermore, human movement represents a special category of visual motion stimuli because it is the only type of motion that humans can both produce and perceive. This article reviews recent behavioral and neurophysiological research on the visual perception of human movement and focuses on the role of the motor system in this process. Action perception by athletes is emphasized because their special motor and visual abilities provide a particularly important challenge to traditional theories of vision.