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Temporal adaptation of sensory attenuation for self-touch
Clara Fritz1, Eckart Zimmermann2
1Institute for Experimental Psychology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany. clara.fritz@uni-duesseldorf.de.
Experimental Brain Research
|August 22, 2023
Summary
Sensory attenuation for self-touch is affected by temporal recalibration. Prolonged exposure to delayed sensations broadens this effect, but only when a single test delay is used.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Perception
- Psychophysics
Background:
- Self-produced sensations are typically attenuated compared to externally produced ones.
- Temporal recalibration can alter the perceived timing and intensity of sensations based on prior exposure to delayed stimuli.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how prolonged exposure to a delay between action and sensation affects sensory attenuation for self-touch.
- To determine the temporal spread of the temporal recalibration effect on sensory attenuation.
Main Methods:
- Participants underwent prolonged exposure to systematically delayed self-touch sensations.
- Three test delays (0, 100, and 400 ms) were used in randomized or blocked orders across experiments.
- Experiment 3 replicated a previous study to confirm temporal recalibration effects.
Main Results:
- Sensory attenuation was observed across all tested delays, but the exposure delay did not significantly affect it in initial experiments.
- Experiment 3 confirmed temporal recalibration by exposure delay.
- Presenting multiple test delays resulted in a broader temporal spread of sensory attenuation.
Conclusions:
- The temporal selectivity of sensory attenuation for self-touch is dependent on the presentation of a singular test delay.
- Multiple test delays broaden the temporal spread of sensory attenuation, indicating a more generalized recalibration effect.
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