Do Changes in the Body-Part Compatibility Effect Index Tool-Embodiment?

Abstract

Tool-embodiment is said to occur when the representation of the body extends to incorporate the representation of a tool following goal-directed tool-use. The present study was designed to determine if tool-embodiment-like phenomenon emerges following different interventions. Participants completed body-part compatibility task in which they responded with foot or hand presses to colored targets presented on the foot or hand of a model, or on a rake held by the model. This response time (RT) task was performed before and after one of four interventions. In the Virtual-Tangible and the Virtual-Keyboard interventions, participants used customized controllers or keyboards, respectively, to move a virtual rake and ball around a course. Participants in the Tool-Perception intervention manually pointed to targets presented on static images of the virtual tool-use task. Participants in the Tool-Absent group completed math problems and were not exposed to a tool task. Results revealed that all four interventions lead to a pattern of pre-/post-intervention changes in RT thought to indicate the emergence of tool-embodiment. Overall, the study indicated that tool-embodiment can occur through repeated exposure to the body-part compatibility paradigm in the absence of any active tool-use, and that the paradigm may tap into more than just body schema.

Keywords:

• tool-embodiment
• virtual reality
• body schema
• body-part compatibility

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Availability of Data

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by a Discovery Grant, Scholarships from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and an Insight Grant from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.