Changing bodies changes minds: owning another body affects social cognition

Maister, Lara; Slater, Mel; Sanchez-Vives, Maria V.; Tsakiris, Manos

doi:10.1016/j.tics.2014.11.001

Cited by 312 publications

(282 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…One possibility is that the key process involved is about increasing other-related activations, rather than the control of self and other representations as such. This interpretation is in line with findings suggesting that blurring self -other boundaries and increasing identification with another's body or actions can modulate social cognition [5]. For example, in a study by Maister et al [6], implicit attitudes towards out-group members became more positive after participants underwent a rubber hand manipulation that made an out-group hand feel like their own.…”

supporting

confidence: 83%

Mechanisms and development of self–other distinction in dyads and groups

Milward

Sebanz

2016

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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One contribution of 16 to a theme issue 'Understanding self and other: from origins to disorders'. Subject Areas: cognitionKeywords: self -other distinction, empathy, joint action, social cognition Author for correspondence: Sophie J. Milward e-mail: milwards@ceu.edu Mechanisms and development of selfother distinction in dyads and groups This opinion piece offers a commentary on the four papers that address the theme of the development of self and other understanding with a view to highlighting the important contribution of developmental research to understanding of mechanisms of social cognition. We discuss potential mechanisms linking self -other distinction and empathy, implications for grouping motor, affective and cognitive domains under a single mechanism, applications of these accounts for joint action and finally consider self -other distinction in group versus dyadic settings.In this opinion piece, we will offer a commentary on the four papers that address the theme of the development of self and other understanding with a view to highlighting the important contribution of developmental research to understanding of mechanisms of social cognition. While two of the papers [1,2] provide outlines for a key role of self-other distinction as a route to successful dyadic interaction within motor, cognitive and affective domains, the other two focus on group-level analyses of social cognition that highlight motivational [3] and evolutionary [4] themes. This piece will discuss three issues that arise from these papers. First, we will discuss the claim that distinguishing between self and other is crucial for empathy, and raise some questions about the potential mechanisms that could support this link. Second, we will reflect on the implications for grouping three distinct domains (motor, cognitive and affective) under a single mechanism, as has been suggested by de Guzman et al. [1], and consider self -other distinction in the context of joint action. Finally, we will discuss the potential for uniting what are currently relatively independent literatures on group versus dyadic interaction and clarifying whether the mechanisms suggested in each literature can inform research in the other field.In the study reported by de Guzman et al.[1], participants who had performed a training task that required performing movements opposite to the ones performed by a model subsequently showed signs of increased empathy. As discussed by the authors, this finding seems to suggest that increasing control over self and other representations may increase empathy. One possibility, discussed in detail by Steinbeis [2], is that distinguishing between self and other is helpful because it serves to reduce egocentric bias. While this may be a plausible mechanism when it comes to appreciating differences in beliefs and perspectives, it is unclear how exactly making a distinction between one's own and another's actions could increase empathy. One possibility is that the key process involved is about increasing other-related activations, r...

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supporting

confidence: 83%

Mechanisms and development of self–other distinction in dyads and groups

Milward

Sebanz

2016

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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“…Yet, from the current results it is not possible to deduce whether there is a causal relationship between the implicit preference for impaired bodies and the persistent mimicking of the amputees' behavior. Blurred self-other-boundaries induced through own-body related multisensory conflicts have shown to influence implicit attitudes (Maister et al, 2015) and vice versa (Bufalari et al, 2014), indicating that an altered representation of the body might contribute to the present effects. The weak preference for amputated bodies is even more remarkable, when considering that the involuntary amputees showed the same negative bias towards amputees as the normally-limbed controls did.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

When less is more – Implicit preference for incomplete bodies in xenomelia

Macauda

Bekrater-Bodmann

Brugger

et al. 2017

Journal of Psychiatric Research

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Individuals with xenomelia identify with an amputated rather than with their physically complete, healthy body. They often mimic amputees and show a strong admiration of and sexual attraction towards them. Here we investigated for the first time empirically whether such unusual preference for amputated bodies is present also on an implicit level. Using the well-validated Implicit Association Test we show that individuals with xenomelia manifested a stronger implicit and explicit preference for amputated bodies than a normally-limbed control group and a group of involuntary amputees did. Interestingly, the two latter groups did not differ in their implicit and explicit preference for complete versus amputated bodies. These findings are an important step in understanding how deeply rooted attitudes about a socially normative body appearance may be influenced by a developmentally disordered experience of one's own bodily self. We conclude that this is the first behavioral evidence demonstrating a conflict of self-identification on an implicit level and this enriches current understandings of xenomelia as a primarily neurological disorder. AbstractIndividuals with xenomelia identify with an amputated rather than with their physically complete, healthy body. They often mimic amputees and show a strong admiration of and sexual attraction towards them. Here we investigated for the first time empirically whether such unusual preference for amputated bodies is present also on an implicit level. Using the wellvalidated Implicit Association Test we show that individuals with xenomelia manifested a stronger implicit and explicit preference for amputated bodies stronger than a normally-limbed control group and a group of involuntary amputees did. Interestingly, the two latter groups did not differ in their implicit and explicit preference for complete versus amputated bodies. These findings are an important step in understanding how deeply rooted attitudes about a socially normative body appearance may be influenced by a developmentally disordered experience of one's own bodily self. We conclude that this first behavioral evidence to demonstrate a conflict of self-identification on an implicit level and this enriches current understandings of xenomelia as a primarily neurological disorder.

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“…This includes changing the spatial location of the body (Slater et al ., 2009), the age of the body (Banakou, Groten, & Slater, 2013), and the race of the body (Peck, Seinfeld, Aglioti, & Slater, 2013). These methods open up a rich vein of research for psychologists to investigate the sense of self and we recommend (Maister, Slater, Sanchez‐Vives, & Tsakiris, 2014) as a review of this area. In practical terms, a variety of software solutions are available to implement embodiment, but their success depends critically on the quality of the motion capture and the time lags in the computers.…”

Section: The Munros – Challenges In the Implementation Of Vrmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why and how to use virtual reality to study human social interaction: The challenges of exploring a new research landscape

Pan

Hamilton²

2018

British J of Psychology

489

346

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As virtual reality (VR) technology and systems become more commercially available and accessible, more and more psychologists are starting to integrate VR as part of their methods. This approach offers major advantages in experimental control, reproducibility, and ecological validity, but also has limitations and hidden pitfalls which may distract the novice user. This study aimed to guide the psychologist into the novel world of VR, reviewing available instrumentation and mapping the landscape of possible systems. We use examples of state‐of‐the‐art research to describe challenges which research is now solving, including embodiment, uncanny valley, simulation sickness, presence, ethics, and experimental design. Finally, we propose that the biggest challenge for the field would be to build a fully interactive virtual human who can pass a VR Turing test – and that this could only be achieved if psychologists, VR technologists, and AI researchers work together.

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Changing bodies changes minds: owning another body affects social cognition

Cited by 312 publications

References 58 publications

Mechanisms and development of self–other distinction in dyads and groups

Mechanisms and development of self–other distinction in dyads and groups

When less is more – Implicit preference for incomplete bodies in xenomelia

Why and how to use virtual reality to study human social interaction: The challenges of exploring a new research landscape

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