The majority of scientific studies on consciousness have focused on vision, exploring the cogniti... more The majority of scientific studies on consciousness have focused on vision, exploring the cognitive and neural mechanisms of conscious access to visual stimuli. In parallel, studies on bodily consciousness have revealed that bodily (i.e. tactile, proprioceptive, visceral, vestibular) signals are the basis for the sense of self. However, the role of bodily signals in the formation of visual consciousness is not well understood. Here we investigated how body-related visuo-tactile stimulation modulates conscious access to visual stimuli. We used a robotic platform to apply controlled tactile stimulation to the participants' backs while they viewed a dot moving either in synchrony or asynchrony with the touch on their back. Critically, the dot was rendered invisible through continuous flash suppression. Manipulating the visual context by presenting the dot moving on either a body form, or a non-bodily object we show that: (i) conflict induced by synchronous visuo-tactile stimulation...
CONTEXT Scientific research has consistently
shown that prejudicial behaviour may contribute
to d... more CONTEXT Scientific research has consistently shown that prejudicial behaviour may contribute to discrimination and disparities in social groups. However, little is known about whether and how implicit assumptions and direct contact modulate the interaction and quality of professional interventions in education and health contexts. OBJECTIVES This study was designed to examine implicit and explicit attitudes towards wheelchair users. METHODS We investigated implicit and explicit attitudes towards wheelchair users in three different groups: patients with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI); health professionals with intense contact with wheelchair users, and healthy participants without personal contact with wheelchair users. To assess the shortterm plasticity of prejudices, we used a valid intervention that aims to change implicit attitudes through brief direct contact with a patient who uses a wheelchair in an ecologically valid real-life interaction. RESULTS We found that: (i) wheelchair users with SCI held positive explicit but negative implicit attitudes towards their novel in-group; (ii) the amount of experience with wheelchair users affected implicit attitudes among health professionals, and (iii) interacting with a patient with SCI who contradicts prejudices modulated implicit negative bias towards wheelchair users in healthy participants. CONCLUSIONS The use of a wheelchair immediately and profoundly affects how a person is perceived. However, our findings highlight the dynamic nature of perceptions of social identity, which are not only sensitive to personal beliefs, but also highly permeable to intergroup interactions. Having direct contact with people with disabilities might foster positive attitudes in multidisciplinary health care teams. Such interventions could be integrated into medical education programmes to successfully prevent or reduce hidden biases in a new generation of health professionals and to increase the general acceptance of disability in patients.
The majority of scientific studies on consciousness have focused on vision, exploring the cogniti... more The majority of scientific studies on consciousness have focused on vision, exploring the cognitive and neural mechanisms of conscious access to visual stimuli. In parallel, studies on bodily consciousness have revealed that bodily (i.e. tactile, proprioceptive, visceral, vestibular) signals are the basis for the sense of self. However, the role of bodily signals in the formation of visual consciousness is not well understood. Here we investigated how body-related visuo-tactile stimulation modulates conscious access to visual stimuli. We used a robotic platform to apply controlled tactile stimulation to the participants' backs while they viewed a dot moving either in synchrony or asynchrony with the touch on their back. Critically, the dot was rendered invisible through continuous flash suppression. Manipulating the visual context by presenting the dot moving on either a body form, or a non-bodily object we show that: (i) conflict induced by synchronous visuo-tactile stimulation...
CONTEXT Scientific research has consistently
shown that prejudicial behaviour may contribute
to d... more CONTEXT Scientific research has consistently shown that prejudicial behaviour may contribute to discrimination and disparities in social groups. However, little is known about whether and how implicit assumptions and direct contact modulate the interaction and quality of professional interventions in education and health contexts. OBJECTIVES This study was designed to examine implicit and explicit attitudes towards wheelchair users. METHODS We investigated implicit and explicit attitudes towards wheelchair users in three different groups: patients with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI); health professionals with intense contact with wheelchair users, and healthy participants without personal contact with wheelchair users. To assess the shortterm plasticity of prejudices, we used a valid intervention that aims to change implicit attitudes through brief direct contact with a patient who uses a wheelchair in an ecologically valid real-life interaction. RESULTS We found that: (i) wheelchair users with SCI held positive explicit but negative implicit attitudes towards their novel in-group; (ii) the amount of experience with wheelchair users affected implicit attitudes among health professionals, and (iii) interacting with a patient with SCI who contradicts prejudices modulated implicit negative bias towards wheelchair users in healthy participants. CONCLUSIONS The use of a wheelchair immediately and profoundly affects how a person is perceived. However, our findings highlight the dynamic nature of perceptions of social identity, which are not only sensitive to personal beliefs, but also highly permeable to intergroup interactions. Having direct contact with people with disabilities might foster positive attitudes in multidisciplinary health care teams. Such interventions could be integrated into medical education programmes to successfully prevent or reduce hidden biases in a new generation of health professionals and to increase the general acceptance of disability in patients.
Uploads
shown that prejudicial behaviour may contribute
to discrimination and disparities in
social groups. However, little is known about
whether and how implicit assumptions and
direct contact modulate the interaction and
quality of professional interventions in education
and health contexts.
OBJECTIVES This study was designed to
examine implicit and explicit attitudes towards
wheelchair users.
METHODS We investigated implicit and explicit
attitudes towards wheelchair users in three
different groups: patients with traumatic
spinal cord injury (SCI); health professionals
with intense contact with wheelchair users,
and healthy participants without personal contact
with wheelchair users. To assess the shortterm
plasticity of prejudices, we used a valid
intervention that aims to change implicit
attitudes through brief direct contact with a
patient who uses a wheelchair in an
ecologically valid real-life interaction.
RESULTS We found that: (i) wheelchair users
with SCI held positive explicit but negative
implicit attitudes towards their novel in-group;
(ii) the amount of experience with wheelchair
users affected implicit attitudes among health
professionals, and (iii) interacting with a
patient with SCI who contradicts prejudices
modulated implicit negative bias towards
wheelchair users in healthy participants.
CONCLUSIONS The use of a wheelchair
immediately and profoundly affects how a person
is perceived. However, our findings highlight
the dynamic nature of perceptions of
social identity, which are not only sensitive to
personal beliefs, but also highly permeable to
intergroup interactions. Having direct contact
with people with disabilities might foster positive
attitudes in multidisciplinary health care
teams. Such interventions could be integrated
into medical education programmes to successfully
prevent or reduce hidden biases in a
new generation of health professionals and to
increase the general acceptance of disability in
patients.
shown that prejudicial behaviour may contribute
to discrimination and disparities in
social groups. However, little is known about
whether and how implicit assumptions and
direct contact modulate the interaction and
quality of professional interventions in education
and health contexts.
OBJECTIVES This study was designed to
examine implicit and explicit attitudes towards
wheelchair users.
METHODS We investigated implicit and explicit
attitudes towards wheelchair users in three
different groups: patients with traumatic
spinal cord injury (SCI); health professionals
with intense contact with wheelchair users,
and healthy participants without personal contact
with wheelchair users. To assess the shortterm
plasticity of prejudices, we used a valid
intervention that aims to change implicit
attitudes through brief direct contact with a
patient who uses a wheelchair in an
ecologically valid real-life interaction.
RESULTS We found that: (i) wheelchair users
with SCI held positive explicit but negative
implicit attitudes towards their novel in-group;
(ii) the amount of experience with wheelchair
users affected implicit attitudes among health
professionals, and (iii) interacting with a
patient with SCI who contradicts prejudices
modulated implicit negative bias towards
wheelchair users in healthy participants.
CONCLUSIONS The use of a wheelchair
immediately and profoundly affects how a person
is perceived. However, our findings highlight
the dynamic nature of perceptions of
social identity, which are not only sensitive to
personal beliefs, but also highly permeable to
intergroup interactions. Having direct contact
with people with disabilities might foster positive
attitudes in multidisciplinary health care
teams. Such interventions could be integrated
into medical education programmes to successfully
prevent or reduce hidden biases in a
new generation of health professionals and to
increase the general acceptance of disability in
patients.