"The clothes (and the face) make the Starman": Facial and clothing features shape self-other matching processes between human observers and a cartoon character.

Anthropomorphization occurs when human characteristics are attributed to nonhuman animals or objects. One process that could facilitate the anthropomorphization of nonhuman animals may be a self-other body-part matching mechanism wherein the body of the nonhuman animal is conceptually mapped to the human observer's representation of their body. The present study was designed to determine if specific features could facilitate body-part matching between the cartoon of a nonhuman animal and human observers. Participants responded to targets presented on the cartoon of a starfish. In No Structure conditions, dots and curved lines were distributed evenly within the starfish. In Face conditions, two dots and one curved line represented eyes and a mouth of a "face". In Clothes conditions, dots and lines represented a shirt and pants. Body-part matching emerged when the image had a face or clothing, but did not emerge in No Structure conditions. These studies provide unique evidence that the anthropomorphization of a nonhuman cartoon may be facilitated by human-like internal features on the image.

Do Changes in the Body-Part Compatibility Effect Index Tool-Embodiment?

Tool-embodiment is said to occur when the representation of the body extends to incorporate the representation of a tool following goal-directed tool-use. The present study was designed to determine if tool-embodiment-like phenomenon emerges following different interventions. Participants completed body-part compatibility task in which they responded with foot or hand presses to colored targets presented on the foot or hand of a model, or on a rake held by the model. This response time (RT) task was performed before and after one of four interventions. In the Virtual-Tangible and the Virtual-Keyboard interventions, participants used customized controllers or keyboards, respectively, to move a virtual rake and ball around a course. Participants in the Tool-Perception intervention manually pointed to targets presented on static images of the virtual tool-use task. Participants in the Tool-Absent group completed math problems and were not exposed to a tool task. Results revealed that all four interventions lead to a pattern of pre-/post-intervention changes in RT thought to indicate the emergence of tool-embodiment. Overall, the study indicated that tool-embodiment can occur through repeated exposure to the body-part compatibility paradigm in the absence of any active tool-use, and that the paradigm may tap into more than just body schema.

The "eye" in imagination: The role of eye movements in a reciprocal aiming task.

Humans not only perform a variety of actions, but they also simulate or imagine themselves performing those actions. When individuals physically execute goal-directed hand movements, eye movements typically precede the hand movements to the target to enhance movement accuracy. Studies have also revealed that eye movements emerge during motor imagery. Although eye-hand coordination is clearly important for the execution of a goal-directed movement, less is known about the role or expression of eye movements in an imagined movement. The present experiments were designed to investigate the role of eye movements during an executed and imagined reciprocal aiming task. Participants executed and imagined reciprocal aiming movements under conditions in which they were allowed to freely move their eyes or were told to fixate at a fixation point. Speed-accuracy trade-offs consistent with Fitts' Law were observed across all conditions suggesting that eye movements were not necessary to execute or imagine movements. Movement times were longest, however, in the imagination task when the eye movements were restricted to the central fixation point, suggesting that eye movements might assist with the accuracy or calibration of the imagination process. Analysis of eye movements during the no fixation imagination task revealed that the eye movements during imagination mimicked the executed hand movements when gaze was not restricted. Overall, these results suggest that although the ability to make eye movements was not necessary for action execution or motor imagery, the use of eye movements likely enhancing the accuracy of motor imagery for this task.