Citation

Iachini T, Ruotolo F, Vinciguerra M, Ruggiero G. Cognition 2017; 166: 107-117.

Affiliation

Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Immersive Virtual Reality, CS-IVR, Department of Psychology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Italy.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.cognition.2017.03.024

PMID

28554080

Abstract

Being able to predict potential collisions is a necessary survival prerequisite for all moving species. Temporal and spatial information is fundamental for this purpose. However, it is not clear yet if the peripersonal (i.e. near) and extrapersonal (i.e. far) distance between our body and the moving objects affects the way in which we can predict possible collisions. In order to assess this, we manipulated independently velocity and path of two balls moving one towards the other in such a way as to collide or not in peripersonal and extrapersonal space. In two experiments, participants had to judge if these balls were to collide or not. The results consistently showed a lower discrimination capacity and a more liberal tendency to predict collisions when the moving balls were in peripersonal space and their velocity was different rather than equal. This did not happen in extrapersonal space. Therefore, peripersonal space was particularly affected by temporal information. The possible link between the motor and anticipatory adaptive function of peripersonal space and collision prediction mechanisms is discussed.

Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Collision prediction; Embodied anticipation; Peripersonal space; Safety-action space; Spatio-temporal factors