Neural Mechanisms of Tactile Priming on Social Perceptions - Pilot Study
Neural Mechanisms of Tactile Priming on Social Perceptions - Pilot Study
The investigators measure brain responses of healthy participants while they perform evaluation tasks inside the fMRI. For each task the participants were primed with tactile stimuli. Results should demonstrate engagement of sensorimotor brain regions after priming, hence confirming embodiment theories.
Brain responses of healthy participants were recorded with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). While being scanned participants were asked to recommend punishments similar to judges or juries for perpetrators across different scenarios. In addition, participants were primed before reading the scenario by using different materials. Based on recent theories about "embodied cognition" and extralegal factors investigators hypothesize that those primes may influence the harshness of punishments recommended by the participants. If those processes engage sensorimotor cortices, the results would strongly support theories of embodied cognition.
The results would help the investigators to understand the neural correlates of priming processes. These unconscious complex processes of perception may be important for hospital patients. Thus, beneficial haptic experiences during the hospital stay may contribute to successful recovery.
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Berlin, State of Berlin 10117, Germany