Understanding the Two Forms of Visuo-Spatial Perspective Taking: I know what you can see versus I see the world through your eyes

This grant aims to distinguish between two forms of visuo-spatial perspective taking (PT). While one form, which Flavell and colleagues (1986) have termed level-1, reflects understanding of what lies within someone else's line of sight, level-2involves imagining oneself in someone else's spatial point of view for understanding how their* world looks like.
This research is important, because PT is a conscious mental transformation that is cnxially placed at the convergence of perception, mental imagery, collaborative actions, and communication, and deficiencies have been reported in AutismSpectrum Disorder (eg Hamilton et al., 2009). Understanding perspective taking in neuro-cognitive detail in adults will therefore inform research on typical and atypical cognitive development of mutual understanding.
The Investigators' previous behavioural research had revealed that level-2 PT is a mental simulation of a body rotation - in other words, an embodied process (Kessler & Thomson, 2010). Yet littie is known about level-1 PT in ttiis respect. By usingMagnetoencephalography (MEG) the Investigators will be able to unravel how the two forms of PT differ in terms of their cortical representation (which brain areas?), activation time course (when does activity differ?), and frequency (which brainoscillations differ?).