Spatial Aspects of Felt Presence and the Phenomenon of Childhood Imaginary Companions: Peripersonal Space, Embodied Perspective, and Continuity of Agent Propensity
Abstract
Felt presence (FP) refers to the experience of sensing another agent nearby despite the absence of corresponding sensory evidence, and has been reported across neurological, psychiatric, and non-clinical populations. However, its potential phenomenological similarity and continuity with the common childhood experience of imaginary companions (ICs) have received little attention. The present study characterizes the spatial and perspectival features of retrospectively reported childhood IC experiences, evaluates their parallels with the phenomenology of FP, and interprets these convergences within the theoretical framework of bodily self-consciousness (BSC) and peripersonal space (PPS). Three theory-driven predictions were tested using retrospective self-reports from a healthy adult sample (N = 185; IC+ = 45; IC− = 140) excluding participants with psychiatric or neurological diagnoses. First, we examined whether IC representations were spatially anchored within PPS (Peripersonal Anchoring). Second, we assessed whether IC experiences were predominantly reported from an embodied, first-person or third-person perspective. Third, we tested whether individuals reporting childhood ICs show a greater adult propensity for presence-related experiences (Continuity of Agent Propensity). Results supported all three predictions. Most spatial distance reports (76.1%) fell within 70 cm of the body, with an overall median distance of 12 cm, consistent with PPS anchoring. IC experiences were primarily reported from a first-person perspective (55.6%) and referenced to the body (88.9%). Furthermore, individuals with childhood ICs reported higher scores on the Sensed Presence Questionnaire (SenPQ; 15 items, excluding Item 7 due to cross-loading) during adulthood, whereas dissociative tendencies did not differ between groups. Exploratory logistic regression identified perceived presence proneness as the only significant predictor of IC history. Together, these findings suggest that both adult FP and childhood IC experiences may be grounded in the spatial organization of the bodily action field and reflect a stable disposition for internally generated social-agent representations.
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BibTeX
@misc{burak2026spatial,
title = {{Spatial Aspects of Felt Presence and the Phenomenon of Childhood Imaginary Companions: Peripersonal Space, Embodied Perspective, and Continuity of Agent Propensity}},
author = {Burak and Bigna Lenggenhager},
howpublished = {PsyArXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.31234/osf.io/7fsem_v4},
url = {https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/7fsem_v4/},
note = {CC0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Spatial Aspects of Felt Presence and the Phenomenon of Childhood Imaginary Companions: Peripersonal Space, Embodied Perspective, and Continuity of Agent Propensity
AU - Burak
AU - Bigna Lenggenhager
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/07
PB - PsyArXiv
DO - 10.31234/osf.io/7fsem_v4
UR - https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/7fsem_v4/
AB - Felt presence (FP) refers to the experience of sensing another agent nearby despite the absence of corresponding sensory evidence, and has been reported across neurological, psychiatric, and non-clinical populations. However, its potential phenomenological similarity and continuity with the common childhood experience of imaginary companions (ICs) have received little attention. The present study characterizes the spatial and perspectival features of retrospectively reported childhood IC experiences, evaluates their parallels with the phenomenology of FP, and interprets these convergences within the theoretical framework of bodily self-consciousness (BSC) and peripersonal space (PPS). Three theory-driven predictions were tested using retrospective self-reports from a healthy adult sample (N = 185; IC+ = 45; IC− = 140) excluding participants with psychiatric or neurological diagnoses. First, we examined whether IC representations were spatially anchored within PPS (Peripersonal Anchoring). Second, we assessed whether IC experiences were predominantly reported from an embodied, first-person or third-person perspective. Third, we tested whether individuals reporting childhood ICs show a greater adult propensity for presence-related experiences (Continuity of Agent Propensity). Results supported all three predictions. Most spatial distance reports (76.1%) fell within 70 cm of the body, with an overall median distance of 12 cm, consistent with PPS anchoring. IC experiences were primarily reported from a first-person perspective (55.6%) and referenced to the body (88.9%). Furthermore, individuals with childhood ICs reported higher scores on the Sensed Presence Questionnaire (SenPQ; 15 items, excluding Item 7 due to cross-loading) during adulthood, whereas dissociative tendencies did not differ between groups. Exploratory logistic regression identified perceived presence proneness as the only significant predictor of IC history. Together, these findings suggest that both adult FP and childhood IC experiences may be grounded in the spatial organization of the bodily action field and reflect a stable disposition for internally generated social-agent representations.
ER -