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A Body of Evidence: Avatars and the Generative Nature of Bodily Perception

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Technologies of Inclusive Well-Being

Part of the book series: Studies in Computational Intelligence ((SCI,volume 536))

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Abstract

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) causes dramatic changes in perceptions of the body that are difficult to communicate. This chapter discusses a proof of concept study, evaluating an interactive application designed to assist patients in describing their perception of their body. This was tested with a group of CRPS patients admitted to a 2 week inpatient rehabilitation program who used the application in a consultation with a research nurse. The chapter draws upon audio recordings and a structured questionnaire designed to capture the experience of using the tool. Participants’ reports of the positive impact of being able to see what they had previously only been able to feel (and often unable to describe) are examined. This is considered alongside studies within cognitive neuroscience examining phenomena such as the Rubber Hand Illusion and considers what this might mean for the representation of our body within virtual spaces.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Allowing tracking of position and orientation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of the West of England (UWE) Bristol, Coldharbour Lane, Frenchay, Bristol, BS16 1QY, UK

    Mark Palmer, Ailie Turton & Tim Moss

  2. Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases NHS Foundation Trust, Upper Borough Walls, Bath, BA1 1RL, UK

    Sharon Grieve & Jenny Lewis

Authors
  1. Mark Palmer
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  2. Ailie Turton
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  3. Sharon Grieve
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  4. Tim Moss
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  5. Jenny Lewis
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mark Palmer .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Architecture, Design and Media Technology, Aalborg University, Esbjerg, Denmark

    Anthony Lewis Brooks

  2. Computer Information Systems, Missouri State University, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

    Sheryl Brahnam

  3. Faculty of Education, Science, Technology & Mathematics, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia

    Lakhmi C. Jain

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Palmer, M., Turton, A., Grieve, S., Moss, T., Lewis, J. (2014). A Body of Evidence: Avatars and the Generative Nature of Bodily Perception. In: Brooks, A., Brahnam, S., Jain, L. (eds) Technologies of Inclusive Well-Being. Studies in Computational Intelligence, vol 536. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-45432-5_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-45432-5_6

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-45431-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-45432-5

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