The effect of action-sentence compatibility on postural sway

According to embodied cognition theory, cognitive processes originate from the areas of the brain involved in motor programing and execution and areas that are responsible for processing sensory inputs. According to the embodied cognition perspective, cognitive systems and perception-motor systems are deeply intertwined and exert a causal effect on each other. Therefore, cognitive activity should cause changes in observable movements. For this reason, in this study, we asked participants (20 females; M age= 21±4) to listen to sentences with action verbs while standing quietly on a balance board. We then examined the standard deviation (SD) and the mean within-trial of their center of pressure (CoP) while the participants were listening to the sentences. This test was repeated for three consecutive days.The analysis of standard deviation demonstrated that CoP fluctuations changed significantly from the baseline when participants listening to action verbs. However, none of the main effects were significant for the mean of CoP. Changes in CoP fluctuations relative to normal body fluctuations while participants were asked to stand quiet and listen only to sentences indicates how cognition and motor are intertwined which was reflected in their motor behavior.