| Abstract | Heightened neural responses to tactile stimuli over the somatosensory cortex in peripersonal space
(PPS) have been found in previous research, with a similar enhancement occurring during social cognition. This heightened somatosensory response is indicative of the brain’s sensitivity to respond to multisensory stimuli in the space immediately near the body, as well as to social stimuli, potentially demonstrating the brain’s mechanisms to protect the body. However, not much research has investigated the somatosensory responses to tactile and social information simultaneously in different spatial contexts. As well as a lack of an investigation into these two processes together, there are clear methodological issues that have arisen from traditional on-screen methods in exploring this, namely the ecological validity of previous experiments. Therefore, this study aimed to apply a novel methodological approach using virtual reality (VR) and electroencephalography (EEG), to advance our understanding of embodied social cognition and its neural mechanisms at different distances. To do so, this study used VR to present pre-recorded videos, in which participants engaged in a social or perceptual task. The videos were presented either in their near distance (.95m) or far distance (3.45m) whilst participants received tactile stimulation on their right fingers. I expected heightened neural activity to tactile stimulation during the social task in the near distance. The experiment revealed early differences in the P45 event-related potential (ERP) component, with an increased amplitude in the presentation of stimuli in the near space compared to the far space. Later components, specifically the N140 and longer-latency effects, observed in the Nd1 component, revealed greater amplitudes during the perceptual task compared to the social task. The findings suggested increased neural activation when processing touch with spatial and social information, potentially providing evidence of embodied processing of social stimuli, which is sensitive to spatial contexts. However, future research is needed to explore whether this neural response is unique when carrying out a perceptual task in social contexts. Finally, the present study’s use of VR highlighted a space for the integration of novel technology into research, for more applicable and ecologically valid findings. |
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