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Age of avatar modulates the altercentric bias in a visual perspective-taking task: ERP and behavioural evidence

Ferguson, Heather J., Brunsdon, Victoria E.A., Bradford, Elisabeth E.F. (2018) Age of avatar modulates the altercentric bias in a visual perspective-taking task: ERP and behavioural evidence. Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Neuroscience, 18 (6). pp. 1298-1319. ISSN 1530-7026. (doi:10.3758/s13415-018-0641-1) (KAR id:68966)

Abstract

Despite being able to rapidly and accurately infer their own and other peoples’ visual perspectives, healthy adults experience difficulty ignoring the irrelevant perspective when the two perspectives are in conflict; they experience egocentric and altercentric interference. We examine for the first time how the age of an observed person (adult versus child avatar) influences adults’ visual perspective-taking, particularly the degree to which they experience interference from their own or the other person’s perspective. Participants completed the avatar visual perspective-taking task, in which they verified the number of discs in a visual scene according to either their own or an on-screen avatar’s perspective (Experiments 1 and 2) or only from their own perspective (Experiment 3), where the two perspectives could be consistent or in conflict. Age of avatar was manipulated between (Experiment 1) or within (Experiments 2 and 3) participants, and interference was assessed using behavioural (Experiments 1-3) and ERP (Experiment 1) measures. Results revealed that altercentric interference is reduced or eliminated when a child avatar was present, suggesting that adults do not automatically compute a child avatar’s perspective. We attribute this pattern to either enhanced visual processing for own-age others or an inference on reduced mental awareness in younger children. The findings argue against a purely attentional basis for the altercentric effect, and instead support an account where both mentalising and directional processes modulate automatic visual perspective-taking, and perspective-taking effects are strongly influenced by experimental context.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.3758/s13415-018-0641-1
Projects: CogSoCoAGE
Uncontrolled keywords: Theory of Mind, visual perspective-taking, altercentric interference, self/other, ERPs
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Psychology
Funders: European Research Council (https://ror.org/0472cxd90)
Depositing User: Heather Ferguson
Date Deposited: 06 Sep 2018 12:55 UTC
Last Modified: 10 Jan 2024 23:25 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/68966 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Ferguson, Heather J..

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1575-4820
CReDIT Contributor Roles:

Brunsdon, Victoria E.A..

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6590-6880
CReDIT Contributor Roles:

Bradford, Elisabeth E.F..

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7647-0891
CReDIT Contributor Roles:
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