Processing of peripersonal and extrapersonal space using tools: Evidence from visual line bisection in real and virtual environments

Right hemisphere control of visuospatial attention in near space

“…This indicates that bias shifted rightwards with increased viewing distance, consistent with previous results using the landmark task (Bjoertomt et al, 2002;McCourt & Garlinghouse, 2000) and line bisection task (Gamberini et al, 2008;Longo & Lourenco, 2006Lourenco & Longo, 2009;Lourenco et al, 2011;Varnava et al, 2002). Behavioural data from landmark judgments.…”

“…Studies investigating line bisection in near and far space have typically found a small leftward bias in near space and a (somewhat larger) rightward bias in far space (e.g., Ferrè et al, 2013;Gamberini et al, 2008;Longo & Lourenco, 2006Lourenco & Longo, 2009;Lourenco et al, 2011;Varnava et al, 2002). In contrast, studies using the landmark task have found a leftward bias in near space and a smaller leftward bias (or no bias at all) in far space (e.g., Bjoertomt et al, 2002Bjoertomt et al, , 2009McCourt & Garlinghouse, 2000; this study).…”

“…This shift in bias is generally continuous, and the rate at which it occurs has been taken as an index of the extent, or "size," of near space. Indeed, this method has been used to show expansion of near space following tool use (Gamberini et al, 2008;Longo & Lourenco, 2006), contraction of near space when participants wear heavy wrist weights (Lourenco & Longo, 2009), and systematic inter-individual relations between the extent of near space and arm length (Longo & Lourenco, 2007) as well as claustrophobic fear (Lourenco et al, 2011). Studies using the landmark task have reported a similar rightward shift in bias with increased viewing distance, though not an absolute right bias at the farthest viewing distances (Bjoertomt, Cowey, & Walsh, 2002;McCourt & Garlinghouse, 2000).…”

The plasticity of near space: Evidence for contraction

“…When participants bisect lines at farther distances with a laser pointer, the bias shifts rightward (Longo & Lourenco, 2006;Varnava, McCarthy, & Beaumont, 2002). In contrast, when sticks are used to respond, there is no rightward shift in bias with increasing distance; leftward bias occurs in near and far space (Gamberini et al, 2008;Longo & Lourenco, 2006). Others have reported similar effects of tool-use with cross-modal paradigms (e.g., Holmes, Calvert, & Spence, 2007;Maravita, Spence, Kennett, & Driver, 2002).…”

“…In healthy participants, the extent to which tool-use modulates the representation of near space has been examined via lateral attentional biases on line bisection tasks (Gamberini, Seraglia, & Priftis, 2008;Longo & Lourenco, 2006). On these tasks, participants indicate the perceived midpoint of lines while standing at different distances.…”