The Magnitude Effect on Tactile Spatial Representation: The Spatial–Tactile Association for Response Code (STARC) Effect
The human brain uses perceptual information to create a correct representation of the external world. Converging data indicate that the perceptual processing of, space, and quantities frequently is based on a shared mental magnitude system, where low and high quantities are represented in the left a...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2020-09-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Neuroscience |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnins.2020.557063/full |
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| author | Alice Bollini Claudio Campus Davide Esposito Davide Esposito Monica Gori |
| author_facet | Alice Bollini Claudio Campus Davide Esposito Davide Esposito Monica Gori |
| author_sort | Alice Bollini |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The human brain uses perceptual information to create a correct representation of the external world. Converging data indicate that the perceptual processing of, space, and quantities frequently is based on a shared mental magnitude system, where low and high quantities are represented in the left and right space, respectively. The present study explores how the magnitude affects spatial representation in the tactile modality. We investigated these processes using stimulus-response (S-R) compatibility tasks (i.e., sensorimotor tasks that present an association/dissociation between the perception of a stimulus and the required action, generally increasing/decreasing accuracy and decreasing/increasing reaction times of the subject). In our study, the participant performed a discrimination task between high- and low-frequency vibrotactile stimuli, regardless of the stimulation’s spatial position. When the response code was incompatible with the mental magnitude line (i.e., left button for high-frequency and right button for low-frequency responses), we found that the participants bypassed the spatial congruence, showing a magnitude S-R compatibility effect. We called this phenomenon the Spatial–Tactile Association of Response Codes (STARC) effect. Moreover, we observed that the internal frame of reference embodies the STARC effect. Indeed, the participants’ performance reversed between uncrossed- and crossed-hands posture, suggesting that spatial reference frames play a role in the process of expressing mental magnitude, at least in terms of the tactile modality. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-24T03:41:31Z |
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| id | doaj.art-d3e340dfe03b41a1aa609b25952d6904 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-453X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-24T03:41:31Z |
| publishDate | 2020-09-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-d3e340dfe03b41a1aa609b25952d69042022-12-21T17:16:54ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neuroscience1662-453X2020-09-011410.3389/fnins.2020.557063557063The Magnitude Effect on Tactile Spatial Representation: The Spatial–Tactile Association for Response Code (STARC) EffectAlice Bollini0Claudio Campus1Davide Esposito2Davide Esposito3Monica Gori4Unit for Visually Impaired People, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, ItalyUnit for Visually Impaired People, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, ItalyUnit for Visually Impaired People, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, ItalyDIBRIS, Università di Genova, Genoa, ItalyUnit for Visually Impaired People, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, ItalyThe human brain uses perceptual information to create a correct representation of the external world. Converging data indicate that the perceptual processing of, space, and quantities frequently is based on a shared mental magnitude system, where low and high quantities are represented in the left and right space, respectively. The present study explores how the magnitude affects spatial representation in the tactile modality. We investigated these processes using stimulus-response (S-R) compatibility tasks (i.e., sensorimotor tasks that present an association/dissociation between the perception of a stimulus and the required action, generally increasing/decreasing accuracy and decreasing/increasing reaction times of the subject). In our study, the participant performed a discrimination task between high- and low-frequency vibrotactile stimuli, regardless of the stimulation’s spatial position. When the response code was incompatible with the mental magnitude line (i.e., left button for high-frequency and right button for low-frequency responses), we found that the participants bypassed the spatial congruence, showing a magnitude S-R compatibility effect. We called this phenomenon the Spatial–Tactile Association of Response Codes (STARC) effect. Moreover, we observed that the internal frame of reference embodies the STARC effect. Indeed, the participants’ performance reversed between uncrossed- and crossed-hands posture, suggesting that spatial reference frames play a role in the process of expressing mental magnitude, at least in terms of the tactile modality.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnins.2020.557063/fullspatial reference framemental magnitude lineSpatial-Tactile Association for Response Codespatial S-R compatibilitymagnitude S-R compatibility |
| spellingShingle | Alice Bollini Claudio Campus Davide Esposito Davide Esposito Monica Gori The Magnitude Effect on Tactile Spatial Representation: The Spatial–Tactile Association for Response Code (STARC) Effect Frontiers in Neuroscience spatial reference frame mental magnitude line Spatial-Tactile Association for Response Code spatial S-R compatibility magnitude S-R compatibility |
| title | The Magnitude Effect on Tactile Spatial Representation: The Spatial–Tactile Association for Response Code (STARC) Effect |
| title_full | The Magnitude Effect on Tactile Spatial Representation: The Spatial–Tactile Association for Response Code (STARC) Effect |
| title_fullStr | The Magnitude Effect on Tactile Spatial Representation: The Spatial–Tactile Association for Response Code (STARC) Effect |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Magnitude Effect on Tactile Spatial Representation: The Spatial–Tactile Association for Response Code (STARC) Effect |
| title_short | The Magnitude Effect on Tactile Spatial Representation: The Spatial–Tactile Association for Response Code (STARC) Effect |
| title_sort | magnitude effect on tactile spatial representation the spatial tactile association for response code starc effect |
| topic | spatial reference frame mental magnitude line Spatial-Tactile Association for Response Code spatial S-R compatibility magnitude S-R compatibility |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnins.2020.557063/full |
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