Neurocognitive mechanisms of perception–action coordination: A review and theoretical integration

• Dual-systems models provide inconsistent accounts of perception–action coordination.
• A novel architecture integrates neurocognitive principles of perception and action.
• Integration of old and new views renders a solid footing for intuition in action.
• Nontrivial hypotheses predict how the brain implements ideomotor capture.
• Unorthodox perspective on action- and motivation-related neurological disorders.

The present analysis aims at a theoretical integration of, and a systems-neuroscience perspective on, a variety of historical and contemporary views on perception–action coordination (PAC). We set out to determine the common principles or lawful linkages between sensory and motor systems that explain how perception is action-oriented and how action is perceptually guided. To this end, we analyze the key ingredients to such an integrated framework, examine the architecture of dual-system conjectures of PAC, and endeavor in an historical analysis of the key characteristics, mechanisms, and phenomena of PACs. This analysis will reveal that dual-systems views are in need of fundamental re-thinking, and its elements will be amalgamated with current views on action-oriented predictive processing into a novel integrative theoretical framework (IMPPACT: Impetus, Motivation, and Prediction in Perception–Action Coordination theory). From this framework and its neurocognitive architecture we derive a number of non-trivial predictions regarding conative, motive-driven PAC. We end by presenting a brief outlook on how IMPPACT might present novel insights into certain pathologies and into action expertise.