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The Crossmodal Congruency Task as a Means to Obtain an Objective Behavioral Measure in the Rubber Hand Illusion Paradigm
Published on: July 26, 2013
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Comparing embodiment experiences in expert meditators and non-meditators using the rubber hand illusion
A Xu1, B H Cullen2, C Penner3
1Department of Cognitive, Linguistics, & Psychological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States; Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
Consciousness and Cognition
|October 19, 2018
Summary
Experienced meditators show altered embodiment experiences, specifically reduced rubber hand ownership. This suggests a unique link between meditation, interoceptive awareness, and how we perceive our bodies.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Embodiment, the sense of self as embodied, is crucial for self-awareness.
- The rubber hand illusion (RHI) is a key paradigm for studying embodiment.
- Interoception, the sense of the body's internal state, may influence embodiment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between interoceptive awareness and embodiment in experienced meditators.
- To compare embodiment experiences and interoceptive abilities between meditators and non-meditators.
Main Methods:
- Administered the rubber hand illusion (RHI) and the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA).
- Recruited 15 experienced meditators and 15 non-meditators for the study.
Main Results:
- Meditators reported significantly lower intensity of rubber hand ownership compared to non-meditators.
- No significant group differences were found in real hand disownership or finger proprioception drift.
- Disownership in non-meditators correlated with body trust, while in meditators, it correlated with attending to unpleasant bodily sensations.
Conclusions:
- Meditation practice is associated with altered embodiment experiences, particularly reduced ownership in the RHI.
- Interoceptive awareness, specifically attention to bodily sensations, plays a distinct role in embodiment for meditators.
- These findings highlight a unique interplay between interoception and embodiment shaped by meditation.
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