scholarly journals Body–Space Interactions: Same Spatial Encoding but Different Influence of Valence for Reaching and Defensive Purposes

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Chiara Spaccasassi ◽  
Chris H. Dijkerman ◽  
Angelo Maravita ◽  
Oscar Ferrante ◽  
Maartje C. de Jong
Keyword(s):  
Sensorimotor Cortex ◽  
Contextual Information ◽  
Visual Stimuli ◽  
Peripersonal Space ◽  
The Body ◽  
Behavioral Measures ◽  
Negative Valence ◽  
Beta Power ◽  
Positive Valence ◽  
Task Goals

Abstract The space around our body, the so-called “peripersonal space,” is where interactions with nearby objects may occur. “Defensive space” and “Reaching space” respectively refer to two opposite poles of interaction between our body and the external environment: protecting the body and performing a goal-directed action. Here, we hypothesized that mechanisms underlying these two action spaces are differentially modulated by the valence of visual stimuli, as stimuli with negative valence are more likely to activate protective actions whereas stimuli with positive valence may activate approaching actions. To test whether such distinction in cognitive/evaluative processing exists between Reaching and Defensive spaces, we measured behavioral responses as well as neural activations over sensorimotor cortex using EEG while participants performed several tasks designed to tap into mechanisms underlying either Defensive (e.g., respond to touch) or Reaching space (e.g., estimate whether object is within reaching distance). During each task, pictures of objects with either positive or negative valence were presented at different distances from the participants' body. We found that Defensive space was smaller for positively compared with negatively valenced visual stimuli. Furthermore, sensorimotor cortex activation (reflected in modulation of beta power) during tactile processing was enhanced when coupled with negatively rather than positively valenced visual stimuli regarding Defensive space. On the contrary, both the EEG and behavioral measures capturing the mechanisms underlying Reaching space did not reveal any modulation by valence. Thus, although valence encoding had differential effects on Reaching and Defensive spaces, the distance of the visual stimulus modulated behavioral measures as well as activity over sensorimotor cortex (reflected in modulations of mu power) in a similar way for both types of spaces. Our results are compatible with the idea that Reaching and Defensive spaces involve the same distance-dependent neural representations of sensory input, whereas task goals and stimulus valence (i.e., contextual information) are implemented at a later processing stage and exert an influence on motor output rather than sensory/space encoding.

scholarly journals Auditory roughness elicits defense reactions

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marine Taffou ◽  
Clara Suied ◽  
Isabelle Viaud-Delmon
Keyword(s):  
Contextual Information ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Peripersonal Space ◽  
The Body ◽  
Healthy Human ◽  
Defensive Responses ◽  
Defensive Behaviors ◽  
Human Participants ◽  
Multisensory Information ◽  
Tactile Integration

AbstractAuditory roughness elicits aversion, and higher activation in cerebral areas involved in threat processing, but its link with defensive behavior is unknown. Defensive behaviors are triggered by intrusions into the space immediately surrounding the body, called peripersonal space (PPS). Integrating multisensory information in PPS is crucial to assure the protection of the body. Here, we assessed the behavioral effects of roughness on auditory-tactile integration, which reflects the monitoring of this multisensory region of space. Healthy human participants had to detect as fast as possible a tactile stimulation delivered on their hand while an irrelevant sound was approaching them from the rear hemifield. The sound was either a simple harmonic sound or a rough sound, processed through binaural rendering so that the virtual sound source was looming towards participants. The rough sound speeded tactile reaction times at a farther distance from the body than the non-rough sound. This indicates that PPS, as estimated here via auditory-tactile integration, is sensitive to auditory roughness. Auditory roughness modifies the behavioral relevance of simple auditory events in relation to the body. Even without emotional or social contextual information, auditory roughness constitutes an innate threat cue that elicits defensive responses.

scholarly journals Unconscious integration of multisensory bodily inputs in the peripersonal space shapes bodily self-consciousness

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roy Salomon ◽  
Jean-Paul Noel ◽  
Marta Łukowska ◽  
Nathan Faivre ◽  
Thomas Metzinger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multisensory Integration ◽  
Tactile Stimulation ◽  
Visual Stimuli ◽  
Peripersonal Space ◽  
The Body ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Tactile Stimuli ◽  
Main Components ◽  
Virtual Body

AbstractRecent studies have highlighted the role of multisensory integration as a key mechanism of self-consciousness. In particular, integration of bodily signals within the peripersonal space (PPS) underlies the experience of the self in a body we own (self-identification) and that is experienced as occupying a specific location in space (self-location), two main components of bodily self-consciousness (BSC). Experiments investigating the effects of multisensory integration on BSC have typically employed supra-threshold sensory stimuli, neglecting the role of unconscious sensory signals in BSC, as tested in other consciousness research. Here, we used psychophysical techniques to test whether multisensory integration of bodily stimuli underlying BSC may also occur for multisensory inputs presented below the threshold of conscious perception. Our results indicate that visual stimuli rendered invisible (through continuous flash suppression) boost processing of tactile stimuli on the body (Exp. 1), and enhance the perception of near-threshold tactile stimuli (Exp. 2), only once they entered peripersonal space. We then employed unconscious multisensory mechanisms to manipulate BSC. Participants were presented with tactile stimulation on their body and with visual stimuli on a virtual body, seen at a distance, which were either visible or rendered invisible. We report that if visuo-tactile stimulation was synchronized, participants self-identified with the virtual body (Exp. 3), and shifted their self-location toward the virtual body (Exp.4), even if visual stimuli were fully invisible. Our results indicate that multisensory inputs, even outside of awareness, are integrated and affect the phenomenological content of self-consciousness, grounding BSC firmly in the field of psychophysical consciousness studies.

Visuo-tactile predictive mechanisms of peripersonal space

2021 ◽  
pp. 81-100
Author(s):  
H.C. Dijkerman ◽  
W.P. Medendorp
Keyword(s):  
Motor Control ◽  
Contextual Information ◽  
Peripersonal Space ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
The Body ◽  
Physical Contact ◽  
Auditory Stimuli ◽  
Tactile Stimuli ◽  
Bodily Contact ◽  
Predictive Mechanisms

Our daily living includes bodily contacts with objects and people. While this physical contact occurs naturally, it could also pose a risk of bodily harm—for example, when objects are sharp, or people have bad intentions. It is therefore imperative to have a mechanism that predicts the consequences of bodily contact before it occurs, to guide our interactions appropriately. Evidence from a range of studies suggests a neurofunctional coupling between external visual or auditory stimuli near the body and tactile stimuli on the body. While these multisensory peripersonal representations have been linked to spatial attention, motor control, and social behaviour, a discussion on whether these functions involve a similar mechanism has been missing. Here we suggest that prediction is central to this multimodal coding: visual or auditory stimuli near the body predict tactile consequences of bodily contact. This predictive mechanism is based on learned visuo-tactile associations and modulated by higher-order visual contextual information.

Seeing Your Own Touched Hands in a Mirror Modulates Cross-Modal Interactions

2002 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 350-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelo Maravita ◽  
Charles Spence ◽  
Claire Sergent ◽  
Jon Driver
Keyword(s):  
Neural Networks ◽  
Retinal Image ◽  
Visual Stimuli ◽  
Peripersonal Space ◽  
The Body ◽  
Modal Interactions ◽  
Tactile Stimuli ◽  
True Source ◽  
Visual Distractors

In mirror reflections, visual stimuli in near peripersonal space (e.g., an object in the hand) can project the retinal image of far, extrapersonal stimuli “beyond” the mirror. We studied the interaction of such visual reflections with tactile stimuli in a cross-modal congruency task. We found that visual distractors produce stronger interference on tactile judgments when placed close to the stimulated hand, but observed indirectly as distant mirror reflections, than when directly observed in equivalently distant far space, even when in contact with a dummy hand or someone else's hand in the far location. The stronger visual-tactile interference for the mirror condition implies that near stimuli seen as distant reflections in a mirror view of one's own hands can activate neural networks coding peripersonal space, because these visual stimuli are coded as having a true source near to the body.

The utility of an RDoC motor domain to understand psychomotor symptoms in depression

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 212-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Walther ◽  
J.A. Bernard ◽  
V. A. Mittal ◽  
S.A. Shankman
Keyword(s):  
Motor Behavior ◽  
Motor Domain ◽  
Motor Dysfunction ◽  
Motor Symptoms ◽  
Behavioral Measures ◽  
Negative Valence ◽  
Positive Valence ◽  
Psychomotor Symptoms ◽  
Research Domain ◽  
Course Of Depression

AbstractDespite the clinical impact of motor symptoms such as agitation or retardation on the course of depression, these symptoms are poorly understood. Novel developments in the field of instrumentation and mobile devices allow for dimensional and continuous recording of motor behavior in various settings, particularly outside the laboratory. Likewise, the use of novel assessments enables to combine multimodal neuroimaging with behavioral measures in order to investigate the neural correlates of motor dysfunction in depression. The research domain criteria (RDoC) framework will soon include a motor domain that will provide a framework for studying motor dysfunction in mood disorders. In addition, new studies within this framework will allow investigators to study motor symptoms across different stages of depression as well as other psychiatric diagnoses. Finally, the introduction of the RDoC motor domain will help test how motor symptoms integrate with the original five RDoC domains (negative valence, positive valence, cognitive, social processes, and arousal/regulation).

Individual Differences in the Flexibility of Peripersonal Space

2017 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel B. Hunley ◽  
Arwen M. Marker ◽  
Stella F. Lourenco
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Peripersonal Space ◽  
The Body ◽  
Laser Pointer ◽  
Baseline Measure ◽  
Bisection Task ◽  
Defensive Function ◽  
Representational Space ◽  
Laser Condition ◽  
Line Bisection Task

Abstract. The current study investigated individual differences in the flexibility of peripersonal space (i.e., representational space near the body), specifically in relation to trait claustrophobic fear (i.e., fear of suffocating or being physically restricted). Participants completed a line bisection task with either a laser pointer (Laser condition), allowing for a baseline measure of the size of one’s peripersonal space, or a stick (Stick condition), which produces expansion of one’s peripersonal space. Our results revealed that individuals high in claustrophobic fear had larger peripersonal spaces than those lower in claustrophobic fear, replicating previous research. We also found that, whereas individuals low in claustrophobic fear demonstrated the expected expansion of peripersonal space in the Stick condition, individuals high in claustrophobic fear showed less expansion, suggesting decreased flexibility. We discuss these findings in relation to the defensive function of peripersonal space and reduced attentional flexibility associated with trait anxieties.

scholarly journals EXPRESS: When Symmetric and Curved Visual Contour Meet Intentional Instructions: Hedonic Value and Preference

2021 ◽  
pp. 174702182110215
Author(s):  
Erick G. Chuquichambi Apaza ◽  
Guido B. Corradi ◽  
Enric Munar ◽  
Jaume Rosselló-Mir
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Experimental Session ◽  
Hedonic Tone ◽  
Stimulus Response ◽  
Negative Valence ◽  
Visual Contour ◽  
Positive Valence ◽  
Positive And Negative Valence ◽  
Implicit And Explicit ◽  
Explicit Measures

Symmetry and contour take part in shaping visual preference. However, less is known about their combined contribution to preference. We examined the hedonic tone and preference triggered by the interaction of symmetry and contour. Symmetric/curved, symmetric/sharp-angled, asymmetric/curved, and asymmetric/sharp-angled stimuli were presented in an implicit and explicit task. The implicit task consisted of an affective stimulus-response compatibility task where participants matched the stimuli with positive and negative valence response cues. The explicit task recorded liking ratings from the same stimuli. We used instructed mindset to induce participants to focus on symmetry or contour in different parts of the experimental session. We found an implicit compatibility of symmetry and curvature with positive hedonic tone. Explicit results showed preference for symmetry and curvature. In both tasks, symmetry and curvature showed a cumulative interaction, with a larger contribution of symmetry to the overall effect. While symmetric and asymmetric stimuli contributed to the implicit positive valence of symmetry, the effect of curvature was mainly caused by inclination toward curved contours rather than rejection of sharp-angled contours. We did not find any correlation between implicit and explicit measures, suggesting that they may involve different cognitive processing.

Emotionality effects in ambiguous word recognition: The crucial role of the affective congruence between distinct meanings of ambiguous words

2021 ◽  
pp. 174702182199000
Author(s):  
Pilar Ferré ◽  
Juan Haro ◽  
Daniel Huete-Pérez ◽  
Isabel Fraga
Keyword(s):  
Word Processing ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Ambiguous Word ◽  
Semantic Ambiguity ◽  
Negative Valence ◽  
Ambiguous Words ◽  
Positive Valence ◽  
Affective Meanings ◽  
Valence Effect ◽  
Affective Word

There is substantial evidence that affectively charged words (e.g., party or gun) are processed differently from neutral words (e.g., pen), although there are also inconsistent findings in the field. Some lexical or semantic variables might explain such inconsistencies, due to the possible modulation of affective word processing by these variables. The aim of the present study was to examine the extent to which affective word processing is modulated by semantic ambiguity. We conducted a large lexical decision study including semantically ambiguous words (e.g., cataract) and semantically unambiguous words (e.g., terrorism), analysing the extent to which reaction times (RTs) were influenced by their affective properties. The findings revealed a valence effect in which positive valence made RTs faster, whereas negative valence slowed them. The valence effect diminished as the semantic ambiguity of words increased. This decrease did not affect all ambiguous words, but was observed mainly in ambiguous words with incongruent affective meanings. These results highlight the need to consider the affective properties of the distinct meanings of ambiguous words in research on affective word processing.

scholarly journals Behavioral and Epileptic Determinants of Predatory Attack Behavior in the Cat

1975 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 457-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Adamec
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Stimulation ◽  
Visual Stimuli ◽  
Epileptic Activity ◽  
Attack Behavior ◽  
Behavioral Measures ◽  
Predatory Attack ◽  
Brain And Behavior ◽  
Predatory Response ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Stimulation Of

SUMMARY:This report presents studies which relate limbic epileptic excitability to behavioral measures of defensive suppression of predatory attack in cats. Correlated with heightened defensiveness to environmental stimuli among non-killer cats is a heightened amygdaloid epileptic excitability, as well as a heightened conduction of amygdaloid epileptic activity to thalamic and hypothalamic substrates of predatory response in the amygdala to the complex visual stimuli presented by rat prey. These neurosensory responses correlate well with measures of epileptic excitability. Brain and behavior measures appear related since enhancement of excitability in the amygdala and of projection of epileptic activity by repeated electrical stimulation of predatory attacks. Furthermore, the ventral hippocampus seems capable of antagonizing the behaviorally suppressive effects of heightened amygdaloid excitability perhaps at points of convergence of amygdaloid and hippocampal output.

scholarly journals Roles in violent interactions in early adolescence: Relations with personality traits, friendship and gender

Psihologija ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-133
Author(s):  
Petar Colovic ◽  
Jasmina Kodzopeljic ◽  
Dusanka Mitrovic ◽  
Bojana Dinic ◽  
Snezana Smederevac
Keyword(s):  
Social Behavior ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Elementary School Students ◽  
Male Gender ◽  
School Students ◽  
Negative Valence ◽  
Bully Victims ◽  
Positive Valence ◽  
And Gender

The aim of this study is to examine the relations between roles in violent interactions and personality traits (congruent to dimensions of Big Seven lexical model), number of friends, and gender. The study was conducted on a sample of 1095 elementary school students from Serbia (51.4% female), aged 11-14. The results revealed that membership in the victims group corresponds to smaller number of friends, low Extraversion, high Neuroticism and Conscientiousness and male gender, while higher Aggressiveness, Negative and Positive Valence, lower Neuroticism, and male gender increase the odds of membership in the bullies group. The role of bully-victims corresponds to smaller number of friends, higher Negative Valence and Neuroticism, and male gender. The results point to differences between roles in violent interaction with regard to patterns of personality traits and social behavior.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document