Gun-wielding bias embodiment effect under stress, The

Includes bibliographical references.2015 Fall.Recent work has shown that the embodiment of a gun may be to blame in circumstances wherein an individual has misidentified a gun as a neutral object, such as the high-profile police shooting of Amidou Diallo. However, these embodiment effects have not been studied under stress, results of which could speak to not only applied concerns, but the nature of embodiment as well. In order to start developing an understanding as to whether embodiment is flexible, or unchanging, I utilized the Cold Pressor Task to induce stress into a paradigm published by Witt and Brockmole (2012). Results indicated that there was no difference between stress and non-stress conditions. However, my control condition (non-stress) failed to replicate the main effect previously reported, therefore prohibiting me from drawing conclusions about the nature of embodiment

Perception or response bias?: evaluating competing hypotheses through automation of action-control

2017 Fall.Includes bibliographical references.The claim of action-specific researchers is that one's ability to act affects his or her perception of the environment. When using a reach extending tool, such as a stick, objects appear closer than they do without using that stick. However, whether these effects are perception or simply a response bias has been hotly contested. In this dissertation, four experiments were run using the Pong task to be able to differentiate between a response bias and evidence for a perceptual account. Results indicate that not only were results not in line with a response bias account, but they were what the action-specific account of perception would predict. Results are discussed in context of what this means for theories of visual perception. Results are then discussed in relation to the motor simulation hypothesis to evaluate its validity as an explanation for action-specific effects. Finally, given the nature of the experimental design, a framework for a Theory of Automation Embodiment is developed