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Applying Incongruent Visual-Tactile Stimuli during Object Transfer with Vibro-Tactile Feedback
Published on: May 23, 2019
Double tactile sensations evoked by a single visual stimulus on a rubber hand
Motoyasu Honma1, Shinichi Koyama, Yoshihisa Osada
1Department of Psychology, Rikkyo University, 1-2-26 Kitano, Niiza City, Saitama 352-8558, Japan. mhonma@rikkyo.ac.jp
Neuroscience Research
|August 18, 2009
Summary
The rubber hand illusion can cause tactile sensations to be felt in both the real and prosthetic hands simultaneously. This suggests that both visual and bodily cues contribute to how we perceive touch location.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Somatosensory Perception
Background:
- The rubber hand illusion (RHI) demonstrates how visual input can alter tactile perception.
- Previous RHI studies often stimulated corresponding parts of the real and rubber hands, leaving the exact location of perceived sensation unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether tactile sensations in the RHI are localized to the rubber hand, real hand, or both.
- To differentiate sensations attributed to the rubber hand from those in the real hand.
Main Methods:
- Subjects' real and rubber hands were placed in opposing orientations (e.g., palm up vs. dorsum up).
- Tactile stimulation was applied to the rubber hand, while visual stimuli were synchronized.
Main Results:
- Half of the subjects reported experiencing two distinct tactile sensations from a single visual stimulus.
- These sensations were localized to both the visually stimulated rubber finger and the overlapping real finger.
Conclusions:
- Tactile sensation in the RHI can be referred to both the rubber and real hands simultaneously.
- The localization of tactile sensation in the RHI involves both visuo-spatial and somatic processing.
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