How Visual Images and Tactile Durations Affect the Emotional Ratings of the Cutaneous-Rabbit Illusion

We studied affective tactile stimulation utilizing cutaneous rabbit illusion associated with images of saltatorial animals. The emotional ratings were clearly affected by the pleasantness of the animal displayed on the screen. The modulation of the tactile stimulation itself (short or long) was affected by how many times an animal appears on the screen. Our study suggests that fewer images resulted in higher emotional ratings affecting, therefore, shorter and longer durations differently based on the nature of the visual stimulus. This study is the first step in a long investigation to understand the visual-tactile emotional association for better implementation in the future.