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Mental rotation delays the heart beat: Probing the central processing bottleneck
Author(s) -
Jennings J. Richard,
Van Der Molen Maurits W.,
Debski Kay
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
psychophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.661
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1469-8986
pISSN - 0048-5772
DOI - 10.1111/1469-8986.00068
Subject(s) - mental rotation , psychology , stimulus (psychology) , beat (acoustics) , audiology , heart beat , rotation (mathematics) , heart rate , mirror image , communication , physical medicine and rehabilitation , cognitive psychology , neuroscience , physics , optics , medicine , cognition , blood pressure , computer vision , computer science
We tested the hypothesis that mental rotation would delay response‐related processing as indicated by transient slowing of the heart beat. Thirty college‐age subjects (half female) were presented with normal and mirror image letters rotated at 0, 60, 120, and 180°. Three letters were assigned to a right‐hand response; a separate three to a left‐hand response. Responses were only required for letters in one orientation, mirror or normal. Continuous measures of interbeat interval (IBI) of the heart, respiration, and muscle tension were collected. Performance results were largely consistent with prior findings. Greater angular displacement of the stimuli was associated with greater lengthening of IBI immediately after the stimulus. IBI was influenced equally by angle of rotation in respond and inhibit trials. The lengthening of IBI was interpreted as due to a delay in response selection and execution due to mental rotation.