It 'Feels' like It's Me: Interpersonal Multisensory Stimulation Enhances Visual Remapping of Touch from Other to Self

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Bibliographic Details
Title: It 'Feels' like It's Me: Interpersonal Multisensory Stimulation Enhances Visual Remapping of Touch from Other to Self
Language: English
Authors: Cardini, Flavia, Tajadura-Jimenez, Ana, Serino, Andrea
Source: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance. Jun 2013 39(3):630-637.
Availability: American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org/publications
Peer Reviewed: Y
Physical Description: PDF
Page Count: 8
Publication Date: 2013
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Descriptors: Self Concept, Sensory Experience, Stimuli, Stimulation, Synchronous Communication, Tactual Perception, Concept Mapping, Human Body, Identification, Congruence (Psychology), Visual Stimuli
DOI: 10.1037/a0031049
ISSN: 0096-1523
Abstract: Understanding other people's feelings in social interactions depends on the ability to map onto our body the sensory experiences we observed on other people's bodies. It has been shown that the perception of tactile stimuli on the face is improved when concurrently viewing a face being touched. This Visual Remapping of Touch (VRT) is enhanced the more similar others are perceived to be to the self and is strongest when viewing one's face. Here, we ask whether altering self-other boundaries can in turn change the VRT effect. We used the enfacement illusion, which relies on synchronous interpersonal multisensory stimulation (IMS), to manipulate self-other boundaries. Following synchronous, but not asynchronous, IMS, the self-related enhancement of the VRT extended to the other individual. These findings suggest that shared multisensory experiences represent one key way to overcome the boundaries between self and others, as evidenced by changes in somatosensory processing of tactile stimuli on one's own face when concurrently viewing another person's face being touched. (Contains 1 table and 3 figures.)
Abstractor: As Provided
Number of References: 42
Entry Date: 2013
Accession Number: EJ1008677
Database: ERIC
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