Over the past decade an increasing number of studies across a range of domains have shown that the repeated performance of approach and avoidance (AA) actions in response to a stimulus leads to changes in the evaluation of that stimulus. The dominant (motivational-systems) account in this area claims that these effects are caused by a rewiring of…

Unlike other animals, humans have the unique ability to share and use verbal instructions to prepare for upcoming tasks. Recent research showed that instructions are sufficient for the automatic, reflex-like activation of responses. However, systematic studies into the limits of these automatic effects of task instructions remain relatively…

Most chronic stroke patients present with difficulty in the manipulation of objects. The aim of this study was to test whether an intensive program of precision grip training could improve hand functioning of patients at more than 6 months after a stroke. This was a cross-over study; hence, at inclusion, the patients were randomly divided into two…