ABSTRACT
The conceptual relationships between two types of action, planned action and improvised action, are studied. Instead of seeing them as mutually exclusive types of action, it is argued that they mainly differ from each other gradually, and most of our temporally extended action sequences contain both improvised and previously planned parts. Improvisation can be seen as online planning, that is, as a process in which the planning of an action sequence overlaps with its execution. The strongest case for such a view is improvised joint action, but the view arguably applies to individual improvisation too. Seeing improvisation and planning as closely related action types that employ many of the same cognitive and bodily capacities makes improvisation seem less mysterious and planning less mechanical than they have often been seen.
