 |
|
A Vast Right Arm Conspiracy? Study Suggests Handedness May Effect Body Perception
November 05, 2009There are areas in the brain devoted to our arms, legs, and various parts of our bodies. The way these areas are distributed throughout the brain are known as "body maps" and there are some significant differences in these maps between left- and right-handed people. For example, in left-handed people, there is an equal amount of brain area devoted to the left and right arms in both hemispheres. However, for right-handed people, there is more cortical area associated with right arm than the left.
Psychologists Sally A. Linkenauger, Jonathan Z. Bakdash, and Dennis R. Proffitt of the University of Virginia, along with Jessica K. Witt from Purdue University, and Jeanine K. Stefanucci from The College of William and Mary wanted to see if this difference in body maps leads to differences in how we perceive the length of our arms. For this study, volunteers were brought to the lab and estimated their perceived arm length and how far they could reach with their arms. To estimate arm length, the volunteers would hold out each arm while a researcher standing in front of them would adjust a tape measure-the volunteers had to indicate when they thought the tape was the same length as their arm. To see how far volunteers could reach with each arm, they sat at a table with a plastic chip on it. The volunteers would instruct the experimenter to move the position of the chip to estimate how far they could reach.
The results, reported in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, reveal some differences in the way left- and right-handed people perceive their arms. Left-handed volunteers judged both of their arms to be the same length, but right-handed participants underestimated the length of their left arm-they consistently perceived their right arms as being longer. In addition, right-handed volunteers thought their right hands were larger than their left, when in fact, they were both the same size. When guessing how far they could reach with their arms, left-handed volunteers estimated they could reach equally far with both arms while right-handed volunteers predicted they could reach farther with their right arm.
These findings suggest that body maps in our brain may influence how we perceive our physical bodies-for example, if there is a lot of brain area associated with our right arm, we will view it being as longer compared to our left arm.
Association for Psychological Science
These findings suggest that body maps in our brain may influence how we perceive our physical bodies-for example, if there is a lot of brain area associated with our right arm, we will view it being as longer compared to our left arm.
Association for Psychological Science
Scientists propose explanation for out-of-body experiences
Using virtual reality goggles to mix up the sensory signals reaching the brain, scientists have induced out-of-body-like experiences in healthy people, suggesting a scientific explanation for a phenomenon often thought to be a figment of the imagination.
More Body Perception Current Events and Body Perception News Articles
 |
Remote Perceptions: Out-of-Body Experiences, Remote Viewing, and Other Normal Abilities by Angela Thompson Smith (Author) As a child, the author believed that everyone shared her psychic abilities. As an adult, she realized that her abilities were special, and became first a participant in and later a researcher of psychic functioning. In Remote Perceptions, she explores past, remote viewing, out-of-body experiences (OBEs), the psychic spying of international intelligence agencies, and the possible future of psychic research. Detailing her own experiences and development as a psychic, the author shares the ups and downs of her growth and ponders the future of humankind as we learn to use our abilities to the fullest. A comprehensive introduction to the current state of psychic functioning. |
 |
Episode 1 Directed By: Gary Johnstone Also With: Dan Korn (for Discovery Channel) (Producer), Rachel Bell (for IWC Media) (Producer), Acorn (Writer) |
 |
My Body Parts Keith M. Jackson (Primary Contributor) |
 |
09a - Body Language in Action by Richard Mulvey Starring: Richard Mulvey In this DVD Richard Mulvey applies the body Language gestures we have learnt in the business situations you may find yourself in. For instance: Meeting with a Customer; Meeting with your Boss; Being Interviewed; Attending a Larger Meeting; Meeting your Friends in the Bar and the Courtship Dance. This DVD is very funny but also very relevant in business situations. Making a mistake in Body Language may result in you losing a customer or even losing your job. This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply. |
 |
Perceptual Motor Rhythm Games by Jack Capon, Rosemary Hallum Ph.D. Perceptual-Motor Rhythm Games CD, by Jack Capon and Rosemary Hallum Ph.D. These field-tested learning through movement activities encourage eye-hand, aural-motor, and visual motor coordination. They also develop body image, balance, laterality, directionality, and visual perception. Easy to introduce to your class, the activities do not require partners or constant teacher direction. Includes these songs: The Shoemaker (Shoemaker's Dance); Rope Turning (Wheels); Isolations #1 (Miss Frenchy Brown); Isolations #2 (Music Only); The Bouncer (Hey Look Me Over); Move Like A Machine (Electronic); Raindrops/Ball Activites (Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head); Clap and Shake #1 (Ballin' The Jack) with voice cues; Clap and Shake #2 (Music Only); Mirror Image (Love is Blue); Seven Jumps; and... |
 |
Perception (Blackwell Readings in Philosophy) by Robert Schwartz (Editor) Perception presents classic essays on the conceptual and theoretical problems in the study of vision. In a style that is accessible to the non-expert, the volume lays out core issues in the theory of vision and then sets up a dialogue on the topics among philosophers and psychologists, past and present. Offers an accessible introduction to perception through key readings. Presents a dialogue among philosophers and psychologists on the science of perception. Contains a comprehensive introduction and provides suggestions for further reading. Useful for readers interested in philosophy, psychology, cognitive science, computer vision, and visual science. |
 |
Daily Motor Skills for Young Children (Complete Set of a Teacher Handbook, 2 CDs, and Guide) by Educational Activities by Geraldine Konicki & William T. Braley. Studies show that "Educating the Body" is essential to academic achievement. Daily motor activities provide a strong foundation that helps build success in school. Daily Motor Skills is a complete school-year program that increases perceptual awareness and motor ability. The program is easy, fun to do, and takes little time (15-20 minutes a day). Motor skills activities include: Body Image; Space and Direction; Balance; Basic Body Movement; Hearing Discrimination; Symmetrical Activities; Eye-Hand Coordination; Form Perception; Rhythm; Large Muscle Activities; Fine Muscle Development; and Games. Complete school-year program includes Teacher Handbook, 2 Movement CDs, and a Guide in a Sturdy Binder. |
 |
Human Body Perception from the Inside Out (Advances in Visual Cognition) by Gunther Knoblich (Editor), Ian Thornton (Editor), Marc Grosjean (Editor), Maggie Shiffrar (Editor) The human body has long inspired artists, philosophers, musicians, and writers. Researchers in the psychological sciences, however, have only relatively recently begun to acknowledge the role the body plays in perception and cognition. With the general notion of cognition recently broadening to include its embodied nature, researchers' accounts of perception have increasingly come to include the body's special status as a window on the world and to accommodate the specific perceptual requirements for identifying, interpreting, and interacting with other bodies. This volume presents a comprehensive overview of the rapid progress that has been made in understanding the human body and its relationship to perception. It will help to unify the relevant research from several independent... |
|
The Act of Perception and the Luminous Cocoon of Man [VHS] Starring: Theun Mares | |
 |
Goya's Caprichos: Aesthetics, Perception, and the Body by Andrew Schulz (Author) This book provides detailed analysis of Francisco Goya's Los Caprichos, a series of eighty etchings published in 1799, by examining the artistic principles that animate these remarkable images, and considering the complex way that they relate to the particular historical moment in which the prints were created and first received. In discussing the perceptual tensions in Los Caprichos, Andrew Schulz reevaluates the relationship between Goya's etchings and the Spanish Enlightenment, and reconsiders Goya's career during the 1780s and 1790s. His contention is that notions of vision and perception - key leitmotifs of the Enlightenment that became problematic in the years around 1800 - are fundamental to the poetics of Los Caprichos. By positioning Los Caprichos in the interstices between... |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |