Comparing embodiment experiences in expert meditators and non-meditators using the rubber hand illusion

Looking Beyond the Chair: Psycho-Perceptual Predictors of Sexual Distress and Sexual Satisfaction in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury

Despite a large body of biomedical research, little is known about the psychological and perceptual predictors of sexual satisfaction (SS) and sexual distress (SD) post spinal cord injury (SCI). Guided by a bio-psycho-perceptual framework, this cross-sectional research aimed at assessing SS and SD in a large SCI sample using validated patient-reported outcome measures (PROM). Significant correlates and predictors of SS and SD were also identified. Ninety-one men and women with SCI completed PROMs of SS and SD, as well as psychological (mood, sexual and body esteem) and perceptual (interoceptive awareness, trait mindfulness, sexual mindfulness) factors. Neurological profiles were also assessed, along with experience of orgasm. Correlates of SS and SD were first identified using Pearson's correlations, then multiple hierarchical regression models were computed to isolate predictors. Orgasm experience and psychological factors emerged as moderate correlates of both SS and SD, while neurological factors did not. Interoceptive awareness and trait mindfulness showed weak associations with SD and none with SS. Among the tested predictors, experience of orgasm emerged as the strongest for SS (β = -.29, p < .01), followed by mood, which predicted SS and SD. Sexual and body esteem was predictive of SD only. In sexually active participants, sexual mindfulness predicted both SS (β = 0.55, p < .001) and SD (β = -0.56, p < .001) above and beyond all other variables. This study reveals unique aspects of SS and SD postinjury and supports further consideration of psychological and perceptual dimensions of SCI sexuality in rehabilitation research.

Morality in the flesh: on the link between bodily self-consciousness, moral identity and (dis)honest behaviour

The sense of owning a body (ownership) and controlling its actions (agency) are two main pillars of bodily self-consciousness (BSC). Although studies suggest that BSC signals and morality may be associated, whether such association has a positive or negative direction remains unclear. To investigate this issue, we conducted two pre-registered, online studies, in which a total of 1309 participants completed BSC- and morality-related questionnaires and undertook a task where they could cheat for monetary gain. We found that participants with high sense of ownership displayed high moral identity, which supports the notion that ownership is used to associate the self with positive characteristics. Moreover, high agency was associated with increased moral identity when sense of power is high. Results regarding deception are less clear, and might relate to the impact of COVID-19. Our results concerning moral identity may inspire policies that rely on changes of corporeal awareness to contrast immorality.

Morality in the flesh: on the link between bodily self-consciousness, moral identity and (dis)honest behaviour

The sense of owning a body (ownership) and controlling its actions (agency) are two main pillars of bodily self-consciousness (BSC). Although studies suggest that BSC signals and morality may be associated, whether such association has a positive or negative direction remains unclear. To investigate this issue, we conducted two pre-registered, online studies, in which a total of 1309 participants completed BSC- and morality-related questionnaires and undertook a task where they could cheat for monetary gain. We found that participants with high sense of ownership displayed high moral identity, which supports the notion that ownership is used to associate the self with positive characteristics. Moreover, high agency was associated with increased moral identity when sense of power is high. Results regarding deception are less clear, and might relate to the impact of COVID-19. Our results concerning moral identity may inspire policies that rely on changes of corporeal awareness to contrast immorality.

Morality in the flesh: on the link between bodily self-consciousness, moral identity and (dis)honest behaviour

The sense of owning a body (ownership) and controlling its actions (agency) are two main pillars of bodily self-consciousness (BSC). Although studies suggest that BSC signals and morality may be associated, whether such association has a positive or negative direction remains unclear. To investigate this issue, we conducted two pre-registered, online studies, in which a total of 1309 participants completed BSC- and morality-related questionnaires and undertook a task where they could cheat for monetary gain. We found that participants with high sense of ownership displayed high moral identity, which supports the notion that ownership is used to associate the self with positive characteristics. Moreover, high agency was associated with increased moral identity when sense of power is high. Results regarding deception are less clear, and might relate to the impact of COVID-19. Our results concerning moral identity may inspire policies that rely on changes of corporeal awareness to contrast immorality.

Exploring the Embodiment of a Virtual Hand in a Spatially Augmented Respiratory Biofeedback Setting

Enhancing the embodiment of artificial limbs—the individuals' feeling that a virtual or robotic limb is integrated in their own body scheme—is an impactful strategy for improving prosthetic technology acceptance and human-machine interaction. Most studies so far focused on visuo-tactile strategies to empower the embodiment processes. However, novel approaches could emerge from self-regulation techniques able to change the psychophysiological conditions of an individual. Accordingly, this pilot study investigates the effects of a self-regulated breathing exercise on the processes of body ownership underlying the embodiment of a virtual right hand within a Spatially Augmented Respiratory Biofeedback (SARB) setting. This investigation also aims at evaluating the feasibility of the breathing exercise enabled by a low-cost SARB implementation designed for upcoming remote studies (a need emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic). Twenty-two subjects without impairments, and two transradial prosthesis users for a preparatory test, were asked (in each condition of a within-group design) to maintain a normal (about 14 breaths/min) or slow (about 6 breaths/min) respiratory rate to keep a static virtual right hand “visible” on a screen. Meanwhile, a computer-generated sphere moved from left to right toward the virtual hand during each trial (1 min) of 16. If the participant's breathing rate was within the target (slow or normal) range, a visuo-tactile event was triggered by the sphere passing under the virtual hand (the subjects observed it shaking while they perceived a vibratory feedback generated by a smartphone). Our results—mainly based on questionnaire scores and proprioceptive drift—highlight that the slow breathing condition induced higher embodiment than the normal one. This preliminary study reveals the feasibility and potential of a novel psychophysiological training strategy to enhance the embodiment of artificial limbs. Future studies are needed to further investigate mechanisms, efficacy and generalizability of the SARB techniques in training a bionic limb embodiment.

Examining the relationship between subclinical levels of social anxiety and the rubber hand illusion

An embodied sense of self allows individuals to acquire moment-to-moment insight regarding the relationship between themselves and their environment. Fundamental to this experience is information regarding body ownership and self-location, which can inform both intrapersonal and interpersonal functioning. Although it is well documented that variation in mental health symptoms can impact the accuracy of bodily self-perception, little research has, to date, explored the influence of social anxiety on the embodied self. To address this issue, here we propose to examine the impact of social anxiety on the rubber hand illusion (RHI), a procedure which can distort perceptions of body location and ownership. Related literature points to competing predictions relative to how symptoms of social anxiety potentially impact susceptibility to the RHI. In the current manuscript we present the results of a pilot study indicating a positive relationship between the strength of the RHI and social anxiety, and detail a proposed registered report that seeks to replicate and extend this experiment.

Validação portuguesa do multidimensional assessment of interoceptive awareness (maia)

Objectivo

Consciência interoceptiva refere-se à percepção consciente dos estados internos do organismo. O presente trabalho pretendeu a validação do Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA) recolhida a partir de uma amostra não probabilística de 755 indivíduos.

Método

O MAIA é originalmente constituído por 32 itens (divididos em oito dimensões) que assumem como possibilidade de resposta uma escala de Likert de 6 pontos. O estudo das qualidades métricas deste instrumento realizou-se com recurso a análise factorial exploratória (N = 376) e, numa amostra diferente, a análise factorial confirmatória (N = 379).

Resultados

Verificou-se uma estrutura diferente da original, mantendo-se o seu significado psicológico e características de validade, sensibilidade e fiabilidade adequadas.

Conclusão

Obtiveram-se quatro dimensões (Regulação Atencional; Consciência Emocional; Escuta Corporal e Confiança), as quais correspondem a dimensões da medida original.

The relationship between mindfulness and objective measures of body awareness: A meta-analysis

Although awareness of bodily sensations is a common mindfulness meditation technique, studies assessing the relationship between mindfulness and body awareness have provided mixed results. The current study sought to meta-analytically examine the relationship between mindfulness operationalized as a dispositional trait or a construct trained through short- (i.e., randomized controlled trials [RCTs]) or long-term mindfulness meditation practice with objective measures of body awareness accuracy. PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Scopus were searched. Studies were eligible if they reported the association between mindfulness and body awareness, were published in English, and included adults. Across 15 studies (17 independent samples), a small effect was found linking mindfulness with greater body awareness accuracy (g = 0.21 [0.08, 0.34], N = 879). When separated by study design, only RCTs continued to show a significant relationship (g = 0.20, [0.02, 0.38], k = 7, n = 505). Heterogeneity of effects was low (I² < 25%), although with wide confidence intervals. Effects were not moderated by study quality. Low fail-safe N estimates reduce confidence in the observed effects. Results suggest a small but potentially detectable relationship between mindfulness and body awareness accuracy. Future investigations could examine individual differences in body awareness as a mechanism within mindfulness interventions.