Longo Matthew R, Lourenco Stella F
Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Exp Brain Res. 2007 Feb;177(2):285-90. doi: 10.1007/s00221-007-0855-x. Epub 2007 Jan 26.
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.
大量研究发现，身体周围的近空间与更远空间的呈现方式不同。在之前的一项研究中，我们发现（在线条二等分任务中）近空间和远空间之间的注意偏向存在逐渐变化（Longo和Lourenco，《神经心理学》，2006年，第44卷，第977 - 981页）。本研究关注手臂长度是否与近空间和远空间之间这种逐渐变化的速率存在系统关联。参与者使用激光笔在八个距离（手臂可及范围内外）对线条进行二等分，通过最小二乘回归线的斜率估计变化速率。结果发现斜率与手臂长度呈负相关；手臂较长的参与者与手臂较短的参与者相比，随着距离增加，偏向变化更为平缓。这些结果表明，虽然近空间不能绝对地被认为是手臂可及范围内的空间，但近空间的范围（“大小”）与手臂长度之间存在系统关系。手臂长度可能构成近空间表征的一种内在度量。
