Embodiment of space perception : how hindering movement influence space perception?

Spatial representation is derived from a multi-sensory network involving vision, audition and vestibular information. The theory of embodied space cognition proposes that one’s objectives and capacities of acting within an environment will influence the perception and representation of this space. However, it remains still unclear whether perception or affordance biases may result from a moderation of action effort (or energy cost). The present research aims to address this issue by using virtual reality to keep the manipulations implicit. The movements performed by participants in virtual reality will either be increased or decreased in speed thus creating a mismatch between their real and virtual movement. Simultaneously, participants will either wear a heavy or a light wristband. We expect significant overestimation in distance estimation when movement cost is increased by either weight, decreased movement speed or both, while perceived reachability (i.e. the perceived limit of one’s reaching peripersonal space) should remain unchanged, as suggested by recent studies. The findings of this experiment should help building an understanding around the cognitive processes underlying spatial perception and representation.