Here we present data corresponding to a study in which we looked at how body-representation changes influence goal-directed actions. Participants reached for a target object before and after adaptation periods during which the sounds produced by their hand tapping a surface were spatially manipulated to induce a representation of an elongated arm. We measured kinematic parameters related to the reaching movement and bodily feelings when exposed to the various conditions. Results show that after adaptation, participants’ reaching movements were performed in a way consistent with having a longer arm, in that their reaching velocities were reduced. These kinematic changes suggest auditory-driven recalibration of the somatosensory representation of the arm morphology. The data in this collection are part of The Hearing Body project, a project investigating how the manipulation of action sounds may alter the mental representation of one's body and the related emotional state and body behaviour. Other data collections part of The Hearing Body project have been deposited (Please see Related Resources section below). All parts 1 to 5 consist of experimental data, but they are data from different studies. Part 1, 2 and 5 contain subjective reports and behavioural data, and Part 3 and 4 contain subjective reports, behavioural data and data on electrodermal activity changes. Results were published in the following paper: Tajadura-Jiménez, A., Marquardt, T., Swapp, D., Kitagawa, N., & Bianchi-Berthouze, N. (2016). Action Sounds Modulate Arm Reaching Movements (see Related resources section).The mental representation we have of our body is essential for successful interaction with the environment. This representation is not fixed, but is continuously updated in response to the available sensory information. While previous studies have highlighted the role of vision, touch and proprioception in constructing the body-representation in the brain, the role of auditory information remains largely unknown. Interestingly, the sounds that accompany almost every bodily movement are highly rich in information about the body and the space immediately surrounding it. For instance, the sounds produced when tapping on a surface inform us about the length and strength of our arm. This project will investigate how auditory information generated by our bodies updates our body-representation. A series of psychological experiments will explore how altering self-produced sounds in real-time changes different body-representations, including the representation of the space surrounding the body, the potential actions that we can perform and the emotional states linked to our body capabilities. This multidisciplinary and innovative research project will provide novel insights into the nature of body-representations and, ultimately, guide the design of audio-based applications that can improve body-image, self-esteem, movement patterns and social interactions to support wellbeing and rehabilitation for people with movement impairments.

The user experience was evaluated by combining self-reporting (questionnaire on bodily feelings) and objective behavioural measures of elongation in the represented arm. The behavioral measures quantified the changes in kinematic parameters of participants’ reaching movements performed before and after adaptation.