1
|
Steinmassl K, Paulus M. Malleability of the sense of bodily self in early childhood: 5- and 6-year-old children children show the enfacement illusion. J Exp Child Psychol 2024; 246:105990. [PMID: 38909521 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2024.105990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 05/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/25/2024]
Abstract
The mechanisms underlying the developing sense of bodily self are debated. Whereas some scholars stress the role of sensory factors, others propose the importance of contextual factors. By manipulating multisensory stimulation and social familiarity with the other person, we explored two factors that are proposed to relate to young children's developing sense of bodily self. Including an adult sample allowed us to investigate age-related differences of the malleability of the bodily self. To this end, the study implemented an enfacement illusion with children (N = 64) and adults (N = 33). Participants were exposed to one trial with synchronous interpersonal multisensory stimulation and one trial with asynchronous interpersonal multisensory stimulation-either with a stranger or with the mother as the other person. A self-recognition task using morph videos of self and other and an enfacement questionnaire were implemented as dependent measures. Results revealed evidence for the presence of the enfacement effect in children in both measures. The identity of the other person had a significant effect on the self-recognition task. Contrary to our hypothesis, the effect was significantly smaller in the caregiver condition. No significant differences between children and adults emerged. Our results demonstrate the role of both multisensory stimulation and contextual-here social familiarity-factors for the construction and development of a bodily self. The study provides developmental science with a novel approach to the bodily self by showing the validity of the self-recognition task in a child sample. Overall, the study supports proposals that the sense of bodily self is malleable early in development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Konstantin Steinmassl
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig Maximilians Universität München, 80539 Munich, Germany.
| | - Markus Paulus
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig Maximilians Universität München, 80539 Munich, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Kasahara S, Kumasaki N, Shimizu K. Investigating the impact of motion visual synchrony on self face recognition using real time morphing. Sci Rep 2024; 14:13090. [PMID: 38849381 PMCID: PMC11161490 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-63233-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Face recognition is a crucial aspect of self-image and social interactions. Previous studies have focused on static images to explore the boundary of self-face recognition. Our research, however, investigates the dynamics of face recognition in contexts involving motor-visual synchrony. We first validated our morphing face metrics for self-face recognition. We then conducted an experiment using state-of-the-art video processing techniques for real-time face identity morphing during facial movement. We examined self-face recognition boundaries under three conditions: synchronous, asynchronous, and static facial movements. Our findings revealed that participants recognized a narrower self-face boundary with moving facial images compared to static ones, with no significant differences between synchronous and asynchronous movements. The direction of morphing consistently biased the recognized self-face boundary. These results suggest that while motor information of the face is vital for self-face recognition, it does not rely on movement synchronization, and the sense of agency over facial movements does not affect facial identity judgment. Our methodology offers a new approach to exploring the 'self-face boundary in action', allowing for an independent examination of motion and identity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shunichi Kasahara
- Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc., Tokyo, 141-0022, Japan.
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, 904-0412, Japan.
| | - Nanako Kumasaki
- Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc., Tokyo, 141-0022, Japan
| | - Kye Shimizu
- Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc., Tokyo, 141-0022, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
La Rocca S, Gobbo S, Tosi G, Fiora E, Daini R. Look at me now! Enfacement illusion over computer-generated faces. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1026196. [PMID: 36968788 PMCID: PMC10034087 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1026196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
According to embodied cognition research, one’s bodily self-perception can be illusory and temporarily shifted toward an external body. Similarly, the so-called “enfacement illusion” induced with a synchronous multisensory stimulation over the self-face and an external face can result in implicit and explicit changes in the bodily self. The present study aimed to verify (i) the possibility of eliciting an enfacement illusion over computer-generated faces and (ii) which multisensory stimulation condition was more effective. A total of 23 participants were asked to look at a gender-matched avatar in three synchronous experimental conditions and three asynchronous control conditions (one for each stimulation: visuotactile, visuomotor, and simple exposure). After each condition, participants were asked to complete a questionnaire assessing both the embodiment and the enfacement sensations to address different facets of the illusion. Results suggest a stronger effect of synchronous vs. asynchronous stimulation, and the difference was more pronounced for the embodiment items of the questionnaire. We also found a greater effect of visuotactile and visuomotor stimulations as compared to the simple exposure condition. These findings support the enfacement illusion as a new paradigm to investigate the ownership of different face identities and the specific role of visuotactile and visuomotor stimulations with virtual reality stimuli.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefania La Rocca
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano–Bicocca, Milan, Italy
- MiBTec–Mind and Behavior Technological Center, University of Milano–Bicocca, Milan, Italy
- *Correspondence: Stefania La Rocca,
| | - Silvia Gobbo
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano–Bicocca, Milan, Italy
- MiBTec–Mind and Behavior Technological Center, University of Milano–Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Giorgia Tosi
- MiBTec–Mind and Behavior Technological Center, University of Milano–Bicocca, Milan, Italy
- Department of History, Society and Human Studies, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | - Elisa Fiora
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano–Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Roberta Daini
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano–Bicocca, Milan, Italy
- MiBTec–Mind and Behavior Technological Center, University of Milano–Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Cook C, Crucianelli L, Filippetti ML. Changes in self-other boundaries modulate children's body image attitudes. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1181395. [PMID: 37206310 PMCID: PMC10191255 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1181395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023] Open
Abstract
One's own face is a key distinctive feature of our physical appearance, yet multisensory visuo-tactile stimulation can alter self-other boundaries, eliciting changes in adult's self-face representation and social cognition processes. This study tested whether changing self-face representation by altering self-other boundaries with the enfacement illusion modulates body image attitudes toward others in 6-11-year-old children (N = 51; 31 girls; predominantly White). Across all ages, congruent multisensory information led to stronger enfacement (η2p = 0.06). Participants who experienced a stronger enfacement illusion showed preference for larger body size, suggesting increased positive body size attitudes. This effect was stronger in 6-7-year-olds compared to 8-9-year-olds. Thus, blurring self-other boundaries successfully modulates self-face representation and body image attitudes toward others in children. Our results suggest that increased self-resemblance through self-other blurring resulting from the enfacement illusion may reduce social comparisons between self and other and result in positive body size attitudes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Caryn Cook
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Brain Science, University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom
| | - Laura Crucianelli
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Maria Laura Filippetti
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Brain Science, University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Maria Laura Filippetti,
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Spille JL, Grunwald M, Martin S, Mueller SM. The suppression of spontaneous face touch and resulting consequences on memory performance of high and low self-touching individuals. Sci Rep 2022; 12:8637. [PMID: 35606459 PMCID: PMC9125538 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-12044-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Spontaneous touching of one's own face (sFST) is an everyday behavior that occurs primarily in cognitively and emotionally demanding situations, regardless of a persons’ age or gender. Recently, sFST have sparked scientific interest since they are associated with self-inoculation and transmission of respiratory diseases. Several studies addressed the need to reduce sFST behaviors without discussing the underlying functions of this spontaneous behavior. In addition, the question of why this behavior occurs very frequently in some individuals (high self-touching individuals, HT) but less frequently in others (low self-touching individuals, LT) has not yet been addressed. For the first time, we distinguished between HT and LT and investigated the behavioral consequences of sFST suppression in these two groups. For this purpose, we examined performance outcomes of 49 participants depending on sFST behaviors during a haptic working memory task. In addition, we assessed personality traits of HT and LT using the Freiburg Personality Inventory (FPI-R). The results of our study reveal that suppressing sFST in HT is negatively related to memory performance outcomes. Moreover, HT show tendencies to differ from LT in certain personality traits. Our results highlight the relevance of distinguishing between HT and LT in future studies of sFST.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jente L Spille
- Haptic Research Laboratory, Paul Flechsig Institute - Centre of Neuropathology and Brain Research, University of Leipzig, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Martin Grunwald
- Haptic Research Laboratory, Paul Flechsig Institute - Centre of Neuropathology and Brain Research, University of Leipzig, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sven Martin
- Haptic Research Laboratory, Paul Flechsig Institute - Centre of Neuropathology and Brain Research, University of Leipzig, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Stephanie M Mueller
- Haptic Research Laboratory, Paul Flechsig Institute - Centre of Neuropathology and Brain Research, University of Leipzig, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Spille JL, Grunwald M, Martin S, Mueller SM. Stop touching your face! A systematic review of triggers, characteristics, regulatory functions and neuro-physiology of facial self touch. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 128:102-116. [PMID: 34126163 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.05.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Spontaneous face touching (sFST) is an ubiquitous behavior that occurs in people of all ages and all sexes, up to 800 times a day. Despite their high frequency, they have rarely been considered as an independent phenomenon. Recently, sFST have sparked scientific interest since they contribute to self-infection with pathogens. This raises questions about trigger mechanisms and functions of sFST and whether they can be prevented. This systematic comprehensive review compiles relevant evidence on these issues. Facial self-touches seem to increase in frequency and duration in socially, emotionally as well as cognitively challenging situations. They have been associated with attention focus, working memory processes and emotion regulating functions as well as the development and maintenance of a sense of self and body. The dominance of face touch over other body parts is discussed in light of the proximity of hand-face cortical representations and the peculiarities of facial innervations. The results show that underlying psychological and neuro-physiological mechanisms of sFST are still poorly understood and that various basic questions remain unanswered.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jente L Spille
- University of Leipzig, Paul-Flechsig-Institute for Brain Research, Haptic Research Lab, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Martin Grunwald
- University of Leipzig, Paul-Flechsig-Institute for Brain Research, Haptic Research Lab, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sven Martin
- University of Leipzig, Paul-Flechsig-Institute for Brain Research, Haptic Research Lab, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Stephanie M Mueller
- University of Leipzig, Paul-Flechsig-Institute for Brain Research, Haptic Research Lab, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Abstract
Abstract. This research tested whether observing members of a dyad behave in synchrony influences observers’ expectations and intentions about that dyad. In four studies, participants observed a dyad move in synchrony and were asked to make inferences about them. Results suggest that interpersonal synchrony serves as a social cue, such that observers expect the members of the dyad to work well together. Moreover, synchrony makes observers more likely to want to affiliate with the dyad. These findings shed light on how the social function of synchrony extends beyond the people who experience it to those who observe it.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - André Mata
- Centro de Investigação em Ciência Psicológica (CICPSI), Faculdade de Psicologia, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Cláudia Simão
- CUBE – Católica Lisbon School of Business and Economics, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Rui Gaspar
- Catolica Research Center for Psychological, Family and Social Wellbeing (CRC-W), Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Lisboa, Portugal
- Departamento de Psicologia e Ciências da Educação, Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal
| | - Ana Rita Farias
- Catolica Research Center for Psychological, Family and Social Wellbeing (CRC-W), Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Lisboa, Portugal
- Center for Economics and Finance, Faculty of Economics, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Bufalari I, Sforza AL, Di Russo F, Mannetti L, Aglioti SM. Malleability of the self: electrophysiological correlates of the enfacement illusion. Sci Rep 2019; 9:1682. [PMID: 30737445 PMCID: PMC6368628 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-38213-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2018] [Accepted: 12/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Self-face representation is fundamentally important for self-identity and self-consciousness. Given its role in preserving identity over time, self-face processing is considered as a robust and stable process. Yet, recent studies indicate that simple psychophysics manipulations may change how we process our own face. Specifically, experiencing tactile facial stimulation while seeing similar synchronous stimuli delivered to the face of another individual seen as in a mirror, induces 'enfacement' illusion, i.e. the subjective experience of ownership of the other's face and a bias in attributing to the self, facial features of the other person. Here we recorded visual Event-Related Potentials elicited by the presentation of self, other and morphed faces during a self-other discrimination task performed immediately after participants received synchronous and control asynchronous Interpersonal Multisensory Stimulation (IMS). We found that self-face presentation after synchronous as compared to asynchronous stimulation significantly reduced the late positive potential (LPP; 450-750 ms), a reliable electrophysiological marker of self-identification processes. Additionally, enfacement cancelled out the differences in LPP amplitudes produced by self- and other-face during the control condition. These findings represent the first direct neurophysiological evidence that enfacement may affect self-face processing and pave the way to novel paradigms for exploring defective self-representation and self-other interactions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Bufalari
- Dipartimento dei Processi di Sviluppo e Socializzazione, Università degli studi di Roma "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy.
- IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy.
| | - Anna Laura Sforza
- IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli studi di Roma "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Di Russo
- IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
- Dipartimento di Scienze Motorie, Umane e della Salute, Università degli Studi di Roma "Foro Italico", Rome, Italy
| | - Lucia Mannetti
- Dipartimento dei Processi di Sviluppo e Socializzazione, Università degli studi di Roma "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy
| | - Salvatore Maria Aglioti
- IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli studi di Roma "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
The ‘Enfacement’ illusion: A window on the plasticity of the self. Cortex 2018; 104:261-275. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2018.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2017] [Revised: 10/05/2017] [Accepted: 01/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
|
10
|
Sel A, Azevedo RT, Tsakiris M. Heartfelt Self: Cardio-Visual Integration Affects Self-Face Recognition and Interoceptive Cortical Processing. Cereb Cortex 2018; 27:5144-5155. [PMID: 28334126 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhw296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2016] [Accepted: 09/06/2016] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The sense of body-ownership relies on the representation of both interoceptive and exteroceptive signals coming from one's body. However, it remains unknown how the integration of bodily signals coming from "outside" and "inside" the body is instantiated in the brain. Here, we used a modified version of the Enfacement Illusion to investigate whether the integration of visual and cardiac information can alter self-face recognition (Experiment 1) and neural responses to heartbeats (Experiment 2). We projected a pulsing shade, that was synchronous or asynchronous with the participant's heartbeat, onto a picture depicting the participant's face morphed with the face of an unfamiliar other. Results revealed that synchronous (vs. asynchronous) cardio-visual stimulation led to increased self-identification with the other's face (Experiment 1), while during stimulation, synchronicity modulated the amplitude of the Heartbeat Evoked Potential, an electrophysiological index of cortical interoceptive processing (Experiment 2). Importantly, the magnitude of the illusion-related effects was dependent on, and increased linearly, with the participants' Interoceptive Accuracy. These results provide the first direct neural evidence for the integration of interoceptive and exteroceptive signals in bodily self-awareness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alejandra Sel
- Lab of Action & Body, Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway University London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, London, UK.,Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, OX1 3UD, Oxford, UK
| | - Ruben T Azevedo
- Lab of Action & Body, Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway University London, Egham, SurreyTW20 0EX, London, UK
| | - Manos Tsakiris
- Lab of Action & Body, Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway University London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, London, UK.,The Warburg Institute, School of Advanced Studies, University of London, Woburn Square, London WC1H 0AB, UK
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Bertrand P, Guegan J, Robieux L, McCall CA, Zenasni F. Learning Empathy Through Virtual Reality: Multiple Strategies for Training Empathy-Related Abilities Using Body Ownership Illusions in Embodied Virtual Reality. Front Robot AI 2018; 5:26. [PMID: 33500913 PMCID: PMC7805971 DOI: 10.3389/frobt.2018.00026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2017] [Accepted: 03/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Several disciplines have investigated the interconnected empathic abilities behind the proverb "to walk a mile in someone else's shoes" to determine how the presence, and absence, of empathy-related phenomena affect prosocial behavior and intergroup relations. Empathy enables us to learn from others' pain and to know when to offer support. Similarly, virtual reality (VR) appears to allow individuals to step into someone else's shoes, through a perceptual illusion called embodiment, or the body ownership illusion. Considering these perspectives, we propose a theoretical analysis of different mechanisms of empathic practices in order to define a possible framework for the design of empathic training in VR. This is not intended to be an extensive review of all types of practices, but an exploration of empathy and empathy-related phenomena. Empathy-related training practices are analyzed and categorized. We also identify different variables used by pioneer studies in VR to promote empathy-related responses. Finally, we propose strategies for using embodied VR technology to train specific empathy-related abilities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Philippe Bertrand
- Frontiers VR Laboratory (CRI Labs), Institut Innovant de Formation par la Recherche, USPC, Centre de Recherches Interdisciplinaires, Paris, France
- Laboratoire Adaptations Travail-Individu, Université Paris Descartes – Sorbonne Paris Cité, Institut de psychologie, Paris, France
- BeAnotherLab Research, BeAnotherLab Association, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jérôme Guegan
- Laboratoire Adaptations Travail-Individu, Université Paris Descartes – Sorbonne Paris Cité, Institut de psychologie, Paris, France
| | - Léonore Robieux
- Laboratoire Adaptations Travail-Individu, Université Paris Descartes – Sorbonne Paris Cité, Institut de psychologie, Paris, France
| | | | - Franck Zenasni
- Laboratoire Adaptations Travail-Individu, Université Paris Descartes – Sorbonne Paris Cité, Institut de psychologie, Paris, France
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
The ‘not-so-strange’ body in the mirror: A principal components analysis of direct and mirror self-observation. Conscious Cogn 2017; 48:262-272. [DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2016.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2016] [Revised: 12/15/2016] [Accepted: 12/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
|
13
|
Noel JP, Blanke O, Serino A, Salomon R. Interplay between Narrative and Bodily Self in Access to Consciousness: No Difference between Self- and Non-self Attributes. Front Psychol 2017; 8:72. [PMID: 28197110 PMCID: PMC5281626 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2016] [Accepted: 01/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The construct of the “self” is conceived as being fundamental in promoting survival. As such, extensive studies have documented preferential processing of self-relevant stimuli. For example, attributes that relate to the self are better encoded and retrieved, and are more readily consciously perceived. The preferential processing of self-relevant information, however, appears to be especially true for physical (e.g., faces), as opposed to psychological (e.g., traits), conceptions of the self. Here, we test whether semantic attributes that participants judge as self-relevant are further processed unconsciously than attributes that were not judged as self-relevant. In Experiment 1, a continuous flash suppression paradigm was employed with “self” and “non-self” attribute words being presented subliminally, and we asked participants to categorize unseen words as either self-related or not. In a second experiment, we attempted to boost putative preferential self-processing by relation to its physical conception, that is, one’s own body. To this aim, we repeated Experiment 1 while administrating acoustic stimuli either close or far from the body, i.e., within or outside peripersonal space. Results of both Experiment 1 and 2 demonstrate no difference in breaking suppression for self and non-self words. Additionally, we found that while participants were able to process the physical location of the unseen words (above or below fixation) they were not able to categorize these as self-relevant or not. Finally, results showed that sounds presented in the extra-personal space elicited a more stringent response criterion for “self” in the process of categorizing unseen visual stimuli. This shift in criterion as a consequence of sound location was restricted to the self, as no such effect was observed in the categorization of attributes occurring above or below fixation. Overall, our findings seem to indicate that subliminally presented stimuli are not semantically processed, at least inasmuch as to be categorized as self-relevant or not. However, we do demonstrate that the distance at which acoustic stimuli are presented may alter the balance between self- and non-self biases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Paul Noel
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Life Science, Brain Mind Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de LausanneLausanne, Switzerland; Center for Neuroprosthetics, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de LausanneLausanne, Switzerland; Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, NashvilleTN, USA
| | - Olaf Blanke
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Life Science, Brain Mind Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de LausanneLausanne, Switzerland; Center for Neuroprosthetics, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de LausanneLausanne, Switzerland; Department of Neurology, University HospitalGeneva, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Serino
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Life Science, Brain Mind Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de LausanneLausanne, Switzerland; Center for Neuroprosthetics, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de LausanneLausanne, Switzerland; Department of Psychology, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di BolognaBologna, Italy
| | - Roy Salomon
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Life Science, Brain Mind Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de LausanneLausanne, Switzerland; Center for Neuroprosthetics, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de LausanneLausanne, Switzerland; Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan UniversityRamat Gan, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Rennung M, Göritz AS. Prosocial Consequences of Interpersonal Synchrony: A Meta-Analysis. ZEITSCHRIFT FUR PSYCHOLOGIE-JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2016; 224:168-189. [PMID: 28105388 PMCID: PMC5137339 DOI: 10.1027/2151-2604/a000252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2016] [Revised: 02/25/2016] [Accepted: 06/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Abstract. The capacity to establish interpersonal synchrony is
fundamental to human beings because it constitutes the basis for social
connection and understanding. Interpersonal synchrony refers to instances when
the movements or sensations of two or more people overlap in time and form.
Recently, the causal influence of interpersonal synchrony on prosociality has
been established through experiments. The current meta-analysis is the first to
synthesize these isolated and sometimes contradictory experiments. We
meta-analyzed 60 published and unpublished experiments that compared an
interpersonal synchrony condition with at least one control condition. The
results reveal a medium effect of interpersonal synchrony on prosociality with
regard to both attitudes and behaviors. Furthermore, experimenter effects and
intentionality moderate these effects. We discuss the strengths and limitations
of our analysis, as well as its practical implications, and we suggest avenues
for future research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Rennung
- Department of Occupational and Consumer Psychology, University of Freiburg, Germany
| | - Anja S Göritz
- Department of Occupational and Consumer Psychology, University of Freiburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Hoover AEN, Harris LR. Inducing ownership over an 'other' perspective with a visuo-tactile manipulation. Exp Brain Res 2016; 234:3633-3639. [PMID: 27554087 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-016-4760-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2016] [Accepted: 08/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Seeing our body from a 'self' perspective while performing a movement improves our ability to detect asynchrony between the visual and proprioceptive information concerning that movement: a signature of enhanced body ownership referred to as the 'self-advantage'. We consequently experience no self-advantage when seeing our body from an 'other' perspective. Here we ask whether introducing visuo-tactile stimulation (VTS), similar to that used in the rubber hand illusion to invoke ownership over a dummy hand, would produce a self-advantage when viewing the body from a typically 'other' perspective. Prior to the experiment, participants watched a live video of their own back using a camera mounted behind them while their back was tapped with a rod for 2 min. The video was either synchronous (sVTS) or asynchronous (aVTS) with the tapping. Participants then raised their hands and made a stereotyped finger movement that they watched from the same camera either in the original, natural perspective or upside down. Participants indicated which of two periods (one with minimum delay and one with an added delay of 33-264 ms) appeared delayed. Sensitivity was calculated using psychometric functions. The sVTS group showed a self-advantage of about 45 ms in the natural visual condition compared to the upside down condition, whereas the aVTS group showed no difference between the two conditions. Synchronous visuo-tactile experience increased the feeling of ownership over a typically 'other' perspective in a quantifiable way indicating the multisensory and malleable nature of body representation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adria E N Hoover
- Department Psychology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Laurence R Harris
- Department Psychology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Mood migration: How enfacing a smile makes you happier. Cognition 2016; 151:52-62. [PMID: 26970854 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2016.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2015] [Revised: 02/26/2016] [Accepted: 02/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
People tend to perceive the face of another person more as their own if own and other face are stroked in synchrony-the enfacement illusion. We conceptually replicated the enfacement illusion in a virtual reality environment, in which participants could control the movements of a virtual face by moving and touching their own face. We then used this virtual enfacement illusion to study whether enfacing a virtual face would also involve adopting the emotion that this face is expressing. As predicted, participants adopted the expressed emotion, as indicated by higher valence scores and better performance in a mood-sensitive divergent-thinking task when facing a happy virtual face, if the virtual face moved in synchrony with their own head movements. This suggests that impact on or control over another person's facial movements invite "mood migration" from the person one identifies with to oneself.
Collapse
|
17
|
Adler J, Schabinger N, Michal M, Beutel ME, Gillmeister H. Is that me in the mirror? Depersonalisation modulates tactile mirroring mechanisms. Neuropsychologia 2016; 85:148-58. [PMID: 26970140 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2015] [Revised: 02/19/2016] [Accepted: 03/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Our sense of self is thought to develop through sensory-motor contingencies provided, not only by observing one's own body, but also by mirroring interactions with others. This suggests that there is a strong link between mirroring mechanisms and the bodily self. The present study tested whether this link is expressed at early, implicit stages of the mirroring process or at later, more cognitive stages. We also provide, to the best of our knowledge, the first demonstration of how inter-individual differences in our sense of bodily self may affect mirroring mechanisms. We used somatosensory event-related potentials (SEPs) to investigate the temporal dynamics of mirroring highly self-related information (viewed touch on one's own face) compared to other-related information (viewed touch on a stranger's face), in individuals with low and high levels of depersonalisation, a mental condition characterised by feeling detached or estranged from one's self and body. For the low-depersonalisation group, mirroring for self-related events (P45) preceded mirroring for other-related events (N80). At later stages (P200), mirroring was stronger for other-related than self-related events. This shows that early, implicit and later, more cognitive processes play different relative roles in mirroring self- and other-related bodily events. Critically, mirroring differed in the high-depersonalisation group, specifically for self-related events. An absence of early, implicit mirroring for self-related events over P45 suggests that the associated processes may be the neural correlates of the disembodiment experienced in depersonalisation. A lack of differential mirroring for self- and other-related events over P200 may reflect compensatory mechanisms that redress deficiencies in mirroring at earlier stages, which may break down to give rise to symptoms of depersonalisation. Alternatively, or in addition, they may represent an attenuation of processes related to self-other distinction. Our study thus shows that mirroring, especially for events on one's own face, can be strongly affected by how connected the observer feels to their own bodily self.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julia Adler
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg - University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Nadine Schabinger
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg - University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Matthias Michal
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg - University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Manfred E Beutel
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg - University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | | |
Collapse
|
18
|
Toscano H, Schubert TW. Judged and Remembered Trustworthiness of Faces Is Enhanced by Experiencing Multisensory Synchrony and Asynchrony in the Right Order. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0145664. [PMID: 26716682 PMCID: PMC4696736 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0145664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2015] [Accepted: 12/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
This work builds on the enfacement effect. This effect occurs when experiencing a rhythmic stimulation on one’s cheek while seeing someone else’s face being touched in a synchronous way. This typically leads to cognitive and social-cognitive effects similar to self-other merging. In two studies, we demonstrate that this multisensory stimulation can change the evaluation of the other’s face. In the first study, participants judged the stranger’s face and similar faces as being more trustworthy after synchrony, but not after asynchrony. Synchrony interacted with the order of the stroking; hence trustworthiness only changed when the synchronous stimulation occurred before the asynchronous one. In the second study, a synchronous stimulation caused participants to remember the stranger’s face as more trustworthy, but again only when the synchronous stimulation came before the asynchronous one. The results of both studies show that order of stroking creates a context in which multisensory synchrony can affect the trustworthiness of faces.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Toscano
- Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Centro de Investigação e Intervenção Social, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Thomas W. Schubert
- Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Centro de Investigação e Intervenção Social, Lisboa, Portugal
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|