People react faster to visuo-tactile stimuli presented near the body (i.e., in peripersonal space) than to tactile stimuli presented alone. This multi-sensory facilitation effect has been used as a measurement of peripersonal space. Previous research has reported that peripersonal space representations can be modulated by actively using hand-held tools or disconnected hand avatars. However, previous research has ignored the possibility that the attentional effect of active tool use could affect multi-sensory facilitation. In the present study, we delivered tactile stimuli to participants’ left or right hand concurrently with visual stimuli presented near a virtual hand avatar operated by the movements of participants’ left or right hand, which was shown far in a virtual environment and disconnected from the body. Participants reacted to tactile stimuli while ignoring the visual stimuli. The results indicated a multi-sensory facilitation effect when tactile stimuli were delivered to the hand used to operate the hand avatar. In contrast, the facilitation was not observed when the tactile stimuli were delivered to the hand that is not operating the hand avatar. These results suggest that the strength of the multi-sensory facilitation effect differed across conditions, even though the visual attention captured around the hand avatar was controlled across conditions. We concluded that the modulation of peripersonal space resulting from using tools or avatars is nearly independent of visual attention captured around tools or avatars.

人们对呈现在身体附近（即，在个人空间中）的视觉触觉刺激的反应比单独呈现的触觉刺激更快。这种多感官促进效应已被用作个人空间的测量。先前的研究报告称，可以通过主动使用手持工具或断开连接的手化身来调节个人空间表征。然而，先前的研究忽略了主动工具使用的注意力效应可能影响多感官促进的可能性。在本研究中，我们向参与者的左手或右手同时提供触觉刺激，同时视觉刺激呈现在由参与者左手或右手的运动操作的虚拟手化身附近，在虚拟环境中显示得很远，与身体。参与者对触觉刺激做出反应，而忽略视觉刺激。结果表明，当将触觉刺激传递到用于操作手化身的手时，会产生多感官促进效应。相比之下，当触觉刺激被传递到没有操作手化身的手时，没有观察到促进作用。这些结果表明，多感官促进效应的强度因条件而异，即使在手化身周围捕获的视觉注意力是跨条件控制的。我们得出的结论是，使用工具或化身导致的个人空间调制几乎与围绕工具或化身捕获的视觉注意力无关。结果表明，当将触觉刺激传递到用于操作手化身的手时，会产生多感官促进效应。相比之下，当触觉刺激被传递到没有操作手化身的手时，没有观察到促进作用。这些结果表明，多感官促进效应的强度因条件而异，即使在手化身周围捕获的视觉注意力是跨条件控制的。我们得出的结论是，使用工具或化身导致的个人空间调制几乎与围绕工具或化身捕获的视觉注意力无关。结果表明，当将触觉刺激传递到用于操作手化身的手时，会产生多感官促进效应。相比之下，当触觉刺激被传递到没有操作手化身的手时，没有观察到促进作用。这些结果表明，多感官促进效应的强度因条件而异，即使在手化身周围捕获的视觉注意力是跨条件控制的。我们得出的结论是，使用工具或化身导致的个人空间调制几乎与围绕工具或化身捕获的视觉注意力无关。这些结果表明，多感官促进效应的强度因条件而异，即使在手化身周围捕获的视觉注意力是跨条件控制的。我们得出的结论是，使用工具或化身导致的个人空间调制几乎与围绕工具或化身捕获的视觉注意力无关。这些结果表明，多感官促进效应的强度因条件而异，即使在手化身周围捕获的视觉注意力是跨条件控制的。我们得出的结论是，使用工具或化身导致的个人空间调制几乎与围绕工具或化身捕获的视觉注意力无关。