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Ghost Sensations Across the Body: Trait and State Differences in Spontaneous Somatic Experience
Myrto Efstathiou1, Louise S Delicato2, Anna Sedda2
1School of Psychology and Counselling, The Open University, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Milton Keynes, UK.
Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (2006)
|October 31, 2025
Summary
Spontaneous sensations (SPS) differ based on body region and awareness type. Habitual SPS reflect a global body model, while momentary SPS arise from sensory input, neither linked to visual attention skills.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Somatosensation
Background:
- Spontaneous sensations (SPS) are unexplained bodily feelings like tingling or itching.
- These sensations offer insights into the body's perceptual mechanisms.
- Understanding SPS can illuminate the relationship between body representation and sensory processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how spontaneous sensations (SPS) vary across different body regions (hands, feet, whole body).
- To examine the influence of individual differences in visual attention on SPS experiences.
- To differentiate between habitual (SPSTrait) and momentary (SPSState) awareness of SPS.
Main Methods:
- An online experimental study involving 175 participants.
- Measurement of general tendency (SPSTrait) and in-the-moment awareness (SPSState) of SPS.
- Assessment of endogenous visual attention using a Posner task.
Main Results:
- Habitual SPS (SPSTrait) were reported more frequently for the whole body than for the feet, indicating a broader body representation.
- Momentary SPS (SPSState) did not differ significantly across body parts.
- Neither SPSTrait nor SPSState showed a correlation with performance on the visual attention task.
Conclusions:
- Findings suggest a representational distinction in body perception.
- SPSTrait may be linked to top-down somatorepresentation (a global body model).
- SPSState might originate from bottom-up somatosensory processing.
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