Elaborating a tactile-proprioceptive illusion : the kinaesthetic fusion effect

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Abstract

This study investigated the Kinaesthetic Fusion Effect (KFE) first described by Craske and Kenny in 1981. In Experiment 1 the study did not replicate these findings following a change in the reporting method used by participants. Participants did not perceive any reduction in the sagittal separation of a button pressed by the index finger of one arm and a probe touching the other, following repeated exposure to the tactile stimuli present on both unseen arms. This study’s failure to replicate the widely-cited KFE as described by Craske et al. (1984) suggests that it may be contingent on several aspects of visual information, especially the availability of a specific visual reference, the role of instructions regarding gaze direction, and the potential use of a line of sight strategy when referring felt positions to an interposed surface. In addition, a foreshortening effect was found; this may result from a line-of-sight judgment and represent a feature of the reporting method used. Finally, this research will benefit future studies that require participants to report the perceived locations of the unseen limbs. Experiment 2 investigated the KFE when the visual reference was removed and participants made reports of touched position, blindfolded. A number of interesting outcomes arose from this change and may provide clarification to the phenomena.