Abstract
Theories of embodied cognition propose that perception is shaped by sensory stimuli and by the actions of the organism. Following sensorimotor contingency theory, the mastery of lawful relations between own behavior and resulting changes in sensory signals, called sensorimotor contingencies, is constitutive of conscious perception. Sensorimotor contingency theory predicts that, after training, knowledge relating to new sensorimotor contingencies develops, leading to changes in the activation of sensorimotor systems, and concomitant changes in perception. In the present study, we spell out this hypothesis in detail and investigate whether it is possible to learn new sensorimotor contingencies by sensory augmentation. Specifically, we designed an fMRI compatible sensory augmentation device, the feelSpace belt, which gives orientation information about the direction of magnetic north via vibrotactile stimulation on the waist of participants. In a longitudinal study, participants trained with this belt for seven weeks in natural environment. Our EEG results indicate that training with the belt leads to changes in sleep architecture early in the training phase, compatible with the consolidation of procedural learning as well as increased sensorimotor processing and motor programming. The fMRI results suggest that training entails activity in sensory as well as higher motor centers and brain areas known to be involved in navigation. These neural changes are accompanied with changes in how space and the belt signal are perceived, as well as with increased trust in navigational ability. Thus, our data on physiological processes and subjective experiences are compatible with the hypothesis that new sensorimotor contingencies can be acquired using sensory augmentation.
Highlights
In recent years, theories of cognition underwent profound development in cognitive science [1]
FMRI measurements revealed during a virtual homing task a differential activation of sensory and higher motor areas, i.e., posterior parietal cortex (PPC), supplementary motor area (SMA), premotor cortex, and brain areas known to be involved in navigation
Our results provide no support for hypothesis 3, but give evidence that the present kind of sensory augmentation leads to procedural learning, involvement of motor areas and areas involved in navigation with concomitant perceptual changes in subjective experiences
Summary
Theories of cognition underwent profound development in cognitive science [1]. Classical views propose that cognition is precipitated by an internal representation of the outer world shaped by experience [2]. This theoretical framework of cognition, fails to satisfactorily explain many aspects of cognition [3]. The developing paradigm of embodied cognition attempts to provide an appropriate and productive framework. The paradigm of embodied cognition defines cognition as embodied action [4,5,6,7]. Even though the approach of embodied cognition involves divers notions [3,4,5,8], here cognition is understood as an activity that includes mind, body, and environment [3]. Embodied cognition in general is theorized as an active and multisensory probing of the environment [9]
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