The Ideomotor Effect

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John Jackson © UK-Skeptics

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We’re all aware of our conscious actions. If we want to pick up a pen, for example, we simply think about the action and do it. This is known as volition. It’s entirely natural; and it feels entirely natural. There are other actions that we perform however, that are unconscious, instinctive actions: actions performed without volition.

The first category of unconscious action is known as excitomotor actions. These are actions such as breathing, swallowing, and maintaining a heartbeat. The second category is known as sensorimotor actions. These actions are reacting to fright or reflex actions: pulling one’s hand away from a heat source before the pain has registered, for example. The common factor in these unconscious actions is that they are instinctive and involuntary. (more…)