Rubber hand presentation modulates visuotactile interference effect especially in persons with high autistic traits

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Sensory Integration

Background:

• Multisensory integration differs between neurotypical individuals and those with high autistic traits.
• Visual stimuli can interfere with tactile temporal order judgments.
• The impact of a rubber hand on these interferences and its relation to autistic traits are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how presenting a rubber hand affects tactile temporal order judgments influenced by visual stimuli.
• To explore the relationship between autistic traits and the observed visuotactile interference.

Main Methods:

• Participants judged the temporal order of tactile stimuli on their unseen hand while ignoring visual stimuli on a presented rubber hand.
• The rubber hand was presented in three conditions: palm down, inverted, or not presented.
• Individual differences in autistic traits were assessed.

Main Results:

• A normally oriented rubber hand significantly increased visuotactile interference, reversing participants' judgments.
• This interference effect was reduced when the rubber hand was absent or inverted.
• Individuals with high autistic traits exhibited greater reversals with the rubber hand but less with the inverted hand.

Conclusions:

• A congruent rubber hand presentation enhances visuotactile interference.
• Autistic traits appear to modulate the integration of visual and tactile information during such illusions.