The Link Between Action Verb Processing and Action Observation: A Developmental Study

Abstract

In this work we aimed to assess the typical link in human development between action observation and language. For this, we studied, in 68 children aged 5–11 years of age, how action verbs can prime action representation. While children 7–8 years of age benefited from a congruent action verb prime when they had to judge an image representing an action, this effect was not present in 5–6-year-olds. Thus, the link between language and action observation changes during development at about age 7. We discussed these findings in consideration of current theories proposed to account for the action-language link.