| Popis: |
Internal representations of the body have received considerable attention in recent years, particularly in the context of tool-use. Results have supported the notion that these representations are plastic and tool-use engenders an extension of the internal representation of the arm. However, despite the general acceptance of this interpretation, alternative hypotheses of the mechanics underlying this process have not been adequately considered or tested. For example, there is some evidence that tool-use effects do not extend beyond simplistic tool-use tasks. To further clarify this issue, our participants engaged in a period of tool-augmented reaches in a relatively complex, speeded gather-and-sort task. Were task characteristics inherent to simplistic tasks relevant to putative embodiment effects, we predicted there would be no effect of tool-use on tactile distance judgments or forearm bisections. Consistent with this view, a Bayesian analysis found considerable evidence for the null hypothesis in both outcome measures. The failure of ostensibly reliable tool-use effects to surface in a relatively complex paradigm suggests some of the evidence for tool embodiment may be based in task characteristics inherent in the narrow range of tool-use tasks used to study them as opposed to a tool incorporation process. Potential sources of influence stemming from these characteristics are discussed. |
