University of Bern, Department of Psychology, Bern, Switzerland.
Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education & Training, Learning Technologies Research Group, Zollikofen, Switzerland.
PLoS One. 2021 May 11;16(5):e0251562. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0251562. eCollection 2021.
While one is walking, the stimulation by one's body forms a structure with the stimulation by the environment. This locomotor array of stimulation corresponds to the human-environment relation that one's body forms with the environment it is moving through. Thus, the perceptual experience of walking may arise from such a locomotor array of stimulation. Humans can also experience walking while they are sitting. In this case, there is no stimulation by one's walking body. Hence, one can experience walking although a basic component of a locomotor array of stimulation is missing. This may be facilitated by perception organizing the sensory input about one's body and environment into a perceptual structure that corresponds to a locomotor array of stimulation. We examined whether locomotor illusions are generated by this perceptual formation of a locomotor structure. We exposed sixteen seated individuals to environmental stimuli that elicited either the perceptual formation of a locomotor structure or that of a control structure. The study participants experienced distinct locomotor illusions when they were presented with environmental stimuli that elicited the perceptual formation of a locomotor structure. They did not experience distinct locomotor illusions when the stimuli instead elicited the perceptual formation of the control structure. These findings suggest that locomotor illusions are generated by the perceptual organization of sensory input about one's body and environment into a locomotor structure. This perceptual body-environment organization elucidates why seated human individuals experience the sensation of walking without any proprioceptive or kinaesthetic stimulation.
当一个人行走时，身体的刺激与环境的刺激形成一个结构。这种运动刺激的组合对应于人体与所处环境形成的人-环境关系。因此，行走的知觉体验可能源于这种运动刺激的组合。即使人坐在那里，也可以体验到行走。在这种情况下，没有来自行走身体的刺激。因此，即使缺失运动刺激组合的一个基本组成部分，人们也可以体验到行走。这可能是由感知将关于身体和环境的感觉输入组织成与运动刺激组合相对应的感知结构所促成的。我们研究了这种运动结构的感知形成是否会产生运动错觉。我们让 16 名坐在椅子上的人接触环境刺激，这些刺激会引发运动结构的感知形成或控制结构的感知形成。当参与者接触到会引发运动结构的感知形成的环境刺激时，他们会经历明显的运动错觉。当刺激引发控制结构的感知形成时，他们不会经历明显的运动错觉。这些发现表明，运动错觉是由关于身体和环境的感觉输入的感知组织成运动结构而产生的。这种感知的身体-环境组织解释了为什么坐在椅子上的人在没有本体感觉或动觉刺激的情况下会体验到行走的感觉。
