Effects of non-invasive brain stimulation on visual perspective taking: A meta-analytic study

Visual perspective taking (VPT) is a critical ability required by complex social interaction. Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) has been increasingly used to examine the causal relationship between brain activity and VPT, yet with heterogeneous results. In the current study, we conducted two meta-analyses to examine the effects of NIBS of the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) or dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) on VPT, respectively. We performed a comprehensive literature search to identify qualified studies, and computed the standardized effect size (ES) for each combination of VPT level (Level-1: visibility judgment; Level-2: mental rotation) and perspective (self and other). Twelve studies (rTPJ: 11 studies, 20 ESs; dmPFC: 4 studies, 18 ESs) were included in the meta-analyses. Random-effects models were used to generate the overall effects. Subgroup analyses for distinct VPT conditions were also performed. We found that stimulation of rTPJ significantly improved participants' visibility judgment from the allocentric perspective, whereas dmPFC stimulation mainly influenced Level-1 performance from the egocentric perspective. For both areas, the effects of stimulation on Level-2 performance are negligible. These findings suggest that the rTPJ and dmPFC are involved in basic allocentric and egocentric perspective-taking processes, respectively. Notably, contrary to some theoretical models, neither of them appears to be necessary for more complex VPT with a higher requirement of mental rotation. These findings may help clarify the causal roles of the rTPJ and dmPFC in VPT and emphasize the importance of specifying VPT conditions in experimental designs.

Download Full-text

Group membership and the effects on visual perspective taking

10.31234/osf.io/wnrk6 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Dana Schneider ◽

Anne Grigutsch ◽

Matthias Schurz ◽

Romi Zäske ◽

Stefan R. Schweinberger

Keyword(s):

Theory Of Mind ◽

Mental State ◽

Perspective Taking ◽

Visual Perspective ◽

Interference Effects ◽

Social Categories ◽

Visual Perspective Taking ◽

Mental State Ascription ◽

Ethnic Nationality ◽

Level 1

It has been hypothesized that visual perspective-taking, a basic Theory of Mind mechanism, might operate quite automatically particularly in terms of ´what´ someone else sees. As such we were interested in whether different social categories of an agent (e.g., gender, race, nationality) influence this mental state ascription mechanism. We tested this assumption by investigating the Samson level-1 visual perspective-taking paradigm using agents with different ethnic nationality appearances. A group of self-identified Turkish and German participants were asked to make visual perspective judgments from their own perspective (self-judgment) as well as from the perspective of a prototypical Turkish or German agent (other-judgment). The respective related interference effects - altercentric and egocentric interferences - were measured. When making other-judgments, German participants showed increased egocentric interferences for Turkish compared to German agents. Turkish participants showed no ethnic group influence for egocentric interferences and reported feeling associated with the German and Turkish nationality to a similar extent. For self-judgments, altercentric interferences were of similar magnitude for both ethnic agents in both participant groups. Overall this indicates that in level-1 visual perspective-taking, other-judgments and related egocentric interferences are sensitive to social categories and are better described as a flexible, controlled and deliberate mental state ascription mechanism. In contrast, self-judgments and related altercentric interference effects are better described as automatic, efficient and unconscious mental state ascription mechanisms. In a broader sense the current results suggest that we should stop considering automaticity an all-or-none principle when it comes theory of mind processes.

Download Full-text