The Effect of Visual Capture Towards Subjective Embodiment Within the Full Body Illusion

Abstract

Typically, multisensory illusion paradigms emphasise the importance of synchronous visuotactile integration to induce subjective embodiment towards another body. However, the extent to which embodiment is due to the 'visual capture' of congruent visuoproprioceptive information alone remains unclear. Thus, across two experiments (total N = 80), we investigated how mere visual observation of a mannequin body, viewed from a first-person perspective, influenced subjective embodiment independently from concomitant visuotactile integration. Moreover, we investigated whether slow, affective touch on participants' own, unseen body (without concomitant touch on the seen mannequin) disrupted visual capture effects to a greater degree than fast, non-affective touch. In total, 40% of participants experienced subjective embodiment towards the mannequin body following mere visual observation, and this effect was significantly higher than conditions which included touch to participants own, unseen body. The velocity of the touch that participants received (affective/nonaffective) did not differ in modulating visual capture effects. Furthermore, the effects of visual capture and perceived pleasantness of touch was not modulated by subthreshold eating disorder psychopathology. Overall, this study suggests that congruent visuoproprioceptive cues can be sufficient to induce subjective embodiment of a whole body, in the absence of visuotactile integration and beyond mere confabulatory responses.

Affective touch topography and body image

“…However, this reduction in pleasantness for CT-optimal touch to the abdomen was not supported by a parallel increase in the intensity sensation experienced by participants at the same body site, given that overall, touch to the back but not to the abdomen was felt as the least intense. Contrary to our prediction, but in line with recent studies investigating whether perceived pleasantness of touch was modulated by subthreshold EDs psychopathology in two samples of healthy females [ 77 , 78 ], we did not find evidence to support the idea of an association between preference for CT-optimal (3 cm/s) touch when applied to the abdomen and individual differences in any of the affective body image components. Interestingly however, exploratory analyses showed that perceived tactile preference for CT-optimal (3 cm/s) touch delivered to the back, was predicted by individual differences in body awareness (BPQ).…”

Towards a Common Framework for Mediated Embodiment

“…While in certain experimental conditions it has been suggested that 1PP alone (Carey, Crucianelli, Preston, & Fotopoulou, 2019;Maselli & Slater, 2013;Slater, Spanlang, Sanchez-Vives, & Blanke, 2010), or multi-sensory correlation alone (Lenggenhager, Tadi, Metzinger, & Blanke, 2007), might be sufficient to elicit the embodiment illusion, the combination of the two seems crucial to induce sense of embodiment, especially as the resemblance of the avatar body becomes increasingly different to the human body in appearance (Maselli & Slater, 2013).…”

Untitled

“…While in certain experimental conditions it has been suggested that 1PP alone (Carey, Crucianelli, Preston, & Fotopoulou, 2019;Maselli & Slater, 2013;Slater, Spanlang, Sanchez-Vives, & Blanke, 2010), or multi-sensory correlation alone (Lenggenhager, Tadi, Metzinger, & Blanke, 2007), might be sufficient to elicit the embodiment illusion, the combination of the two seems crucial to induce sense of embodiment, especially as the resemblance of the avatar body becomes increasingly different to the human body in appearance (Maselli & Slater, 2013).…”