Phantom Limb Paper
Nov. 14th, 2022 06:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
citrakayahI recently saw a friend reference this paper, on virtual reality and nonhuman avatars. It's mostly about how humans respond to controlling VR avatars that are humanoid but have exaggerated anatomy (longer arms, shorter or longer range of limb motion) or respond differently to movement than a normal body would, and how the mind can make someone react as if their avatar is their real body even when it mismatches what their physical body is like.
For instance, there's a study they reference where people were given virtual tails controlled by hip movements. Not only did they quickly learn to use such avatars and control the tails, they felt alarmed when their avatar's tails were threatened.
There's some obvious applicability to therians in this study, even though we're not referenced. We may not have VR headsets or avatars, but I think our mental images of ourselves might act along similar lines, resulting in the sensation of the phantom limb--just like in the study where people were given avatars with tails. I think this might also explain why some people seem to have their phantom body sensations deepen later in life. As that mental identity as an animal cements, perhaps the mind grows more used to the "avatar," and so the feeling of feedback grows.
This also indicates that even without advanced technology, alleviating species dysmorphia using VR may be possible. Previously I'd figured that it would be impossible without extremely advanced technology capable of faking physical sensation, on par with the Matrix. But it seems that, at least to some extent, our minds can do the lion's share of the work.
I'd recommend this paper, and I'm interested in what other people who have read it think.
For instance, there's a study they reference where people were given virtual tails controlled by hip movements. Not only did they quickly learn to use such avatars and control the tails, they felt alarmed when their avatar's tails were threatened.
There's some obvious applicability to therians in this study, even though we're not referenced. We may not have VR headsets or avatars, but I think our mental images of ourselves might act along similar lines, resulting in the sensation of the phantom limb--just like in the study where people were given avatars with tails. I think this might also explain why some people seem to have their phantom body sensations deepen later in life. As that mental identity as an animal cements, perhaps the mind grows more used to the "avatar," and so the feeling of feedback grows.
This also indicates that even without advanced technology, alleviating species dysmorphia using VR may be possible. Previously I'd figured that it would be impossible without extremely advanced technology capable of faking physical sensation, on par with the Matrix. But it seems that, at least to some extent, our minds can do the lion's share of the work.
I'd recommend this paper, and I'm interested in what other people who have read it think.
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Date: 2022-11-19 05:05 pm (UTC)I wonder though that not everyone is going to have the same sensitivity as indicated by the primary somatosensory cortex? For example, the article states the lips/fingers/thumb are more sensitive than the back. But wouldn't that be different per person? Therefore, I would assume an avian therian would have a sensitive back, as opposed to their lips, and would feel phantom wings. Whereas a wolf therian might feel their lips more strongly and also experience a phantom muzzle.
Reading between the lines, it seems like cortical remapping is why therians experience phantom limbs of their theriotypes!
Very interesting stuff.
no subject
Date: 2022-11-20 02:47 am (UTC)