Multisensory interactions and the representation of the body in the brain

这些感官相互作用并相互补充，以提供关于外部和内部世界的可靠感觉信息。我的研究计划的主要目标是(1)确定视觉、听觉和前庭信息是如何结合在一起的，为身体定向提供可靠的线索；实验将涉及对坐着和站着时极端边缘视觉对定向和自我运动感知的贡献的新调查；(2)确定身体表征的编码和灵活性及其对感觉加工的影响；实验将涉及感知身体大小和触摸位置的心理物理测量，以及这些感知如何被经验改变；以及(3)确定感觉输入对身体所有权感觉的贡献；我们开发了对身体所有权感知的第一个定量估计；实验将包括破坏前庭系统的固定影响，并在视觉和触觉线索之间建立人工链接，以增强自我在视频图像中的投影。这三个主题的共同要素是量化身体在感知的许多方面正在出现的核心作用。*研究对谁来说很重要：从科学上讲，了解身体表征如何有助于我们的方向感、刺激的感知位置以及我们对自我的感知，将改变我们对感觉处理如何产生感知的理解。实际应用包括将多感官反馈纳入人为因素设计，以提供更好的定位提示，特别是在空间或水下等感官输入退化的情况下。了解自我感知是如何被操纵的，可以用来改善真实游戏中的虚拟现实体验。*预期结果：我们希望表明，视野的远边缘在我们对方向和自我运动的感知中是重要的；身体感知是可塑性的，变化会影响对强度和位置的触觉处理；前庭系统在固定可以测量的、容易受到干扰的自我方面发挥着重要作用。*有益于研究领域和加拿大：这些研究将量化身体在感知的多个方面出人意料的作用，从而改变基本的感知研究。他们将向应用程序提供信息，帮助人们在不寻常的环境中保持定向。我的实验室提供的特殊培训机会和相关的培训资助将有助于培养明天的加拿大科学家。********

The senses interact and complement each other to provide reliable sensory information about the external and internal world. The main objectives of my research program are (1) to determine how visual, auditory and vestibular information are combined to provide reliable cues to body orientation; experiments will involve novel investigations into the contributions of extremely peripheral vision on orientation and self-motion perception while sitting and standing; (2) to determine the coding and flexibility of body representation and its effects on sensory processing; experiments will involve psychophysical measures of perceived body size and the location of touch and how these perceptions can be altered by experience; and (3) to determine the contribution of sensory input to the sense of body ownership; we have developed the first quantitative estimate of the perception of body ownership; experiments will include disrupting the grounding influence of the vestibular system and creating artificial links between visual and tactile cues to enhance the projection of the self into video images. The common element to these three themes is to quantify the emerging central role of the body in many aspects of perception.******To whom the research is important: Scientifically, understanding how body representation contributes to our sense of orientation, the perceived location of stimuli, and our perception of our selves, will alter our understanding of how sensory processing gives rise to perception. Practical applications include incorporating multisensory feedback into human factors design to provide better orientation cues, especially in the presence of degraded sensory input such as in space, or underwater. Understanding how the perception of self can be manipulated can be used for improved virtual reality experience in real gaming.******Anticipated outcomes: We expect to show that the far periphery of the visual field is important in our perception of orientation and self-motion; that body perception is plastic and that changes affect tactile processing of intensity and location; and that the vestibular system plays an important role in grounding the self that can be measured and that is subject to disruption. ******Benefits to the research field and Canada: These studies will transform basic perceptual research by quantifying the unexpected role of the body in multiple aspects of perception. They will inform applications that may help people maintain orientation in unusual environments. The exceptional training opportunities offered by my lab and associated training grants will help create the Canadian scientists of tomorrow. ********