Host: The Japanese Society for Cognitive Psychology
Humans are able to imagine the world from the other's perspective, even without actual locomotion. Kessler & Thomson (2010) suggests that such spatial perspective taking (SPT) employs a locomotion-related body image. Consistent with this suggestion, the present study examined whether SPT performance is influenced by putting a right/left foot (Experiment 1) or a right/left hand (Experiment 2) forward. Results showed that RT is shorter when the motion is congruent with imagined locomotion in SPT than when it is incongruent. This supports the notion that unlike mental rotation, SPT employs a body image of locomotive movement, rejecting the stimulus-response compatibility account. More interestingly, comparison between Experiment 1 and 2 revealed that the foot response is always faster than the hand response during SPT, contrary to physiological and anatomical facts. This may reflect the fact that feet are the foundation of walking and have a more direct link to locomotion than hands.
