Can the left hand benefit from being right? The influence of body side on perceived grasping ability

Right-handed individuals (RHIs) demonstrate perceptual biases towards their right hand, estimating it to be larger and longer than their left. In addition, RHIs estimate that they can grasp larger objects with their right hand than their left. This study investigated whether visual information specifying handedness enhances biases in RHIs’ perceptions of their action capabilities. Twenty-two participants were placed in an immersive virtual environment in which self-animated, virtual hands were either presented congruently to their physical hand or mirrored. Following a calibration task, participants estimated their maximum grasp size by adjusting the size of a virtual block until it reached the largest size they thought they could grasp. The results showed that, consistent with research outside of virtual reality, RHIs gave larger estimates of maximum grasp when using their right physical hand than their left. However, this difference remained regardless of how the hand was virtually presented. This finding suggests that proprioceptive feedback may be more important than visual feedback when estimating maximum grasp. In addition, visual feedback on handedness does not appear to enhance biases in perceptions of maximum grasp with the right hand. Considerations for further research into the embodiment of mirrored virtual limbs are discussed.