Space perception and body morphology: extent of near space scales with arm length

Abstract

Numerous studies have found that the near space immediately surrounding the body is represented differently than more distant space. In a previous study, we found a gradual shift in attentional bias (on a line bisection task) between near and far space (Longo and Lourenco in Neuropsychologia 44:977-981, 2006). The present study concerns the possibility that arm length relates systematically to the rate at which this gradual shift between near and far space occurs. Participants bisected lines using a laser pointer at eight distances (within and beyond arm's reach), and the rate of shift was estimated by the slope of the least-squares regression line. A negative correlation was found between the slopes and arm length; participants with longer arms showed a more gradual shift in bias with increasing distance than those with shorter arms. These results suggest that, while near space cannot be considered categorically as that within arm's reach, there is a systematic relation between the extent ("size") of near space and arm length. Arm length may constitute an intrinsic metric for the representation of near space.