A core assumption of ideomotor theory is that learned bidirectional associations between actions and their effects enable agents to select and initiate actions by anticipating their sensory consequences. Although the acquisition of bidirectional action–effect (A-E) associations built on the experience of one’s own movements has received considerable empirical support, the available evidence for A–E learning through the observation of others’ actions and their effects remains limited. In two experiments, we tested whether A–E associations could be acquired through social learning in an experimental setup involving observation of virtual actions. In an acquisition phase, participants repeatedly observed finger movements on a screen, and each movement was consistently followed by a specific effect tone. In the subsequent test phase, tones were presented as imperative stimuli in a reaction-time task. In both experiments, reaction times were shorter when tones required the same response with which they had been linked in the preceding observation phase, compared with when they required a different response, revealing the impact of A–E associations acquired through observation. Similar results were obtained whether the movements observed during the acquisition phase were spatially aligned (Experiment 1) or not (Experiment 2) with participants’ responses in the test phase, ruling out the possibility that the results merely reflect spatial compatibility effects. Our findings add new evidence for an acquisition of A–E associations through observation. Importantly, we generalize this acquisition process to the observation of virtual actions. These findings further confirm effect-based action control, as proposed by ideomotor theory.

意识运动理论的一个核心假设是，在动作及其效果之间学习到的双向关联使代理能够通过预期其感官后果来选择和启动动作。尽管获得基于自身运动经验的双向动作－效果（AE）关联的经验已经获得了相当多的经验支持，但是通过观察他人的动作及其效果来进行A–E学习的可用证据仍然有限。在两个实验中，我们测试了在涉及虚拟动作观察的实验装置中，是否可以通过社交学习获得A–E关联。在获取阶段，参与者反复观察屏幕上的手指运动，并且每次运动都始终跟随着特定的效果音调。在随后的测试阶段，在反应时间任务中，提示音是命令性刺激。在这两个实验中，与需要不同响应的情况相比，当音调需要与先前观察阶段中所链接的响应相同时，响应时间更短，这揭示了通过观察获得的A–E关联的影响。无论在获取阶段观察到的运动是否在空间上对齐（实验1）（实验2）与参与者在测试阶段的响应，都获得了相似的结果，排除了结果仅反映空间兼容性效应的可能性。我们的发现为通过观察获得A–E协会提供了新的证据。重要的是，我们将此获取过程推广到虚拟动作的观察。