Mirroring communicative actions: Contextual modulation of mu rhythm desynchronization in response to the ‘back-of-hand’ action in 9-month-old infants

This study measured mu rhythm desynchronization (MRD) while nine-month-old infants observed an agent extend her arm and hand, palm up (‘back-of-hand action’) either in social (object and recipient present), individual (object present, recipient absent), or social object-absent (recipient present, object absent) situations across two experiments. In addition, infants’ MRD was measured as they reached for objects. Results revealed significant mu desynchronization in the right centro-parietal region selectively for the social group, indicating that infants processed the back-of-hand action as an object-directed request. Findings suggest to extend the action reconstruction account to object-directed communicative actions as well.