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Möhring W, Szubielska M. Scaling up = scaling down? Children's spatial scaling in different perceptual modalities and scaling directions. Cogn Res Princ Implic 2023; 8:62. [PMID: 37794290 PMCID: PMC10550888 DOI: 10.1186/s41235-023-00517-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The present study examined whether scaling direction and perceptual modality affect children's spatial scaling. Children aged 6-8 years (N = 201) were assigned to a visual, visuo-haptic, and haptic condition in which they were presented with colourful, embossed graphics. In the haptic condition, they were asked to wear a blindfold during the test trials. Across several trials, children were asked to learn about the position of a target in a map and to localize a disc at the same location in a referent space. Scaling factor was manipulated systematically, so that children had to either scale up or scale down spatial information. Their absolute deviations from the correct target location, reversal and signed errors, and response times served as dependent variables. Results revealed higher absolute deviations and response times for the haptic modality as opposed to the visual modality. Children's signed errors, however, showed similar response strategies across the perceptual conditions. Therefore, it seems that a functional equivalence between vision and touch seems to emerge slowly across development for spatial scaling. With respect to scaling directions, findings showed that absolute deviations were affected by scaling factors, with symmetric increases in scaling up and scaling down in the haptic condition. Conversely, children showed an unbalanced pattern in the visual conditions, with higher accuracy in scaling down as opposed to scaling up. Overall, our findings suggest that visibility seems to factor into children's scaling process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenke Möhring
- Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Missionsstrasse 62, 4055, Basel, Switzerland.
- Department of Educational and Health Psychology, University of Education Schwäbisch Gmünd, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany.
| | - Magdalena Szubielska
- Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
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Szubielska M, Szewczyk M, Augustynowicz P, Kędziora W, Möhring W. Effects of scaling direction on adults' spatial scaling in different perceptual domains. Sci Rep 2023; 13:14690. [PMID: 37673909 PMCID: PMC10482972 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-41533-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The current study investigated adults' strategies of spatial scaling from memory in three perceptual conditions (visual, haptic, and visuo-haptic) when scaling up and down. Following previous research, we predicted the usage of mental transformation strategies. In all conditions, participants (N = 90, aged 19-28 years) were presented with tactile, colored graphics which allowed to visually and haptically explore spatial information. Participants were first asked to encode a map including a target. Then, they were instructed to place a response object at the same place on an empty, constant-sized referent space. Maps had five different sizes resulting in five scaling factors (3:1, 2:1, 1:1, 1:2, 1:3). This manipulation also allowed assessing potentially symmetric effects of scaling direction on adults' responses. Response times and absolute errors served as dependent variables. In line with our hypotheses, the changes in these dependent variables were best explained by a quadratic function which suggests the usage of mental transformation strategies for spatial scaling. There were no differences between perceptual conditions concerning the influence of scaling factor on dependent variables. Results revealed symmetric effects of scaling direction on participants' accuracy whereas there were small differences for response times. Our findings highlight the usage of mental transformation strategies in adults' spatial scaling, irrespective of perceptual modality and scaling direction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Szubielska
- Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Psychology, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland.
| | - Marta Szewczyk
- Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Psychology, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
| | - Paweł Augustynowicz
- Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Psychology, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
| | | | - Wenke Möhring
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Educational and Health Psychology, University of Education Schwäbisch Gmünd, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany
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Adults’ spatial scaling from memory: Comparing the visual and haptic domain. Mem Cognit 2022; 50:1201-1214. [DOI: 10.3758/s13421-022-01327-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Blindfolded adults use mental transformation strategies for spatial scaling of tactile maps. Sci Rep 2022; 12:6275. [PMID: 35428813 PMCID: PMC9012851 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-10401-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The current study tested strategies of spatial scaling in the haptic domain. Blindfolded adults (N = 31, aged 20–24 years) were presented with an embossed graphic including a target and asked to encode a target location on this map, imagine this map at a given scale, and to localize a target at the same spot on an empty referent space. Maps varied in three different sizes whereas the referent space had a constant size, resulting in three different scaling factors (1:1, 1:2, 1:4). Participants’ response times and localization errors were measured. Analyses indicated that both response times and errors increased with higher scaling factors, suggesting the usage of mental transformation stratergies for spatial scaling. Overall, the present study provides a suitable, novel methodology to assess spatial scaling in the haptic domain.
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Szubielska M, Szewczyk M, Möhring W. Differences in adults' spatial scaling based on visual or haptic information. Cogn Process 2021; 23:319-327. [PMID: 34962621 PMCID: PMC9072502 DOI: 10.1007/s10339-021-01071-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The present study examined differences in adults' spatial-scaling abilities across three perceptual conditions: (1) visual, (2) haptic, and (3) visual and haptic. Participants were instructed to encode the position of a convex target presented in a simple map without a time limit. Immediately after encoding the map, participants were presented with a referent space and asked to place a disc at the same location from memory. All spaces were designed as tactile graphics. Positions of targets varied along the horizontal dimension. The referent space was constant in size while sizes of maps were systematically varied, resulting in three scaling factor conditions: 1:4, 1:2, 1:1. Sixty adults participated in the study (M = 21.18; SD = 1.05). One-third of them was blindfolded throughout the entire experiment (haptic condition). The second group of participants was allowed to see the graphics (visual condition); the third group were instructed to see and touch the graphics (bimodal condition). An analysis of participants' absolute errors showed that participants produced larger errors in the haptic condition as opposed to the visual and bimodal conditions. There was also a significant interaction effect between scaling factor and perceptual condition. In the visual and bimodal conditions, results showed a linear increase in errors with higher scaling factors (which may suggest that adults adopted mental transformation strategies during the spatial scaling process), whereas, in the haptic condition, this relation was quadratic. Findings imply that adults' spatial-scaling performance decreases when visual information is not available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Szubielska
- Institute of Psychology, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland.
| | - Marta Szewczyk
- Institute of Psychology, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
| | - Wenke Möhring
- Department of Educational and Health Psychology, University of Education Schwäbisch Gmünd, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany.,Faculty of Psychology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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Ferreira CD, Gadelha MJN, Fonsêca ÉKGD, Silva JSCD, Torro N, Fernández-Calvo B. Long-term memory of haptic and visual information in older adults. AGING NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION 2020; 28:65-77. [PMID: 31891286 DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2019.1710450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The present study examined haptic and visual memory capacity for familiar objects through the application of an intentional free-recall task with three-time intervals in a sample of 78 healthy older adults without cognitive impairment. A wooden box and a turntable were used for the presentation of haptic and visual stimuli, respectively. The procedure consisted of two phases, a study phase that consisted of the presentation of stimuli, and a test phase (free-recall task) performed after one hour, one day or one week. The analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) indicated that there was a main effect only for the time intervals (F (2,71) = 12.511, p = .001, η2 = 0.261), with a lower recall index for the interval of one week compared to the other intervals. We concluded that the memory capacity between the systems (haptic and visual) is similar for long retrieval intervals (hours to days).
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Affiliation(s)
- Cyntia Diógenes Ferreira
- Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Perception, Department of Psychology, Federal University of Paraiba , João Pessoa, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Nelson Torro
- Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Perception, Department of Psychology, Federal University of Paraiba , João Pessoa, Brazil
| | - Bernardino Fernández-Calvo
- Laboratory of aging and neuropsychological disorder, Department of Psychology, Federal University of Paraiba , João Pessoa, Brazil
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Szubielska M, Möhring W. Adults' spatial scaling: evidence from the haptic domain. Cogn Process 2019; 20:431-440. [PMID: 31054026 PMCID: PMC6841643 DOI: 10.1007/s10339-019-00920-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2018] [Accepted: 04/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The current study investigated adults' spatial-scaling abilities using a haptic localization task. As a first aim, we examined the strategies used to solve this haptic task. Secondly, we explored whether irrelevant visual information influenced adults' spatial-scaling performance. Thirty-two adults were asked to locate targets as presented in maps on a larger or same-sized referent space. Maps varied in size in accordance with different scaling factors (1:4, 1:2, 1:1), whereas the referent space was constant in size throughout the experimental session. The availability of irrelevant, non-informative vision was manipulated by blindfolding half of the participants prior to the experiment (condition without non-informative vision), whereas the other half were able to see their surroundings with the stimuli being hidden behind a curtain (condition with non-informative vision). Analyses with absolute errors (after correcting for reversal errors) as the dependent variable revealed a significant interaction of the scaling factor and non-informative vision condition. Adults in the blindfolded condition showed constant errors and response times irrespective of scaling factor. Such a response pattern indicates the usage of relative strategies. Adults in the curtain condition showed a linear increase in errors with higher scaling factors, whereas their response times remained constant. This pattern of results supports the usage of absolute strategies or mental transformation strategies. Overall, our results indicate different scaling strategies depending on the availability of non-informative vision, highlighting the strong influence of (even irrelevant) vision on adults' haptic processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Szubielska
- Institute of Psychology, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Al. Racławickie 14, 20-950, Lublin, Poland.
| | - Wenke Möhring
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Basel, Missionsstrasse 60/62, 4055, Basel, Switzerland
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Szubielska M, Bałaj B. Mental Size Scaling of Three-Dimensional Objects Perceived Visually or Tactilely. Adv Cogn Psychol 2018; 14:139-149. [PMID: 32362960 PMCID: PMC7186801 DOI: 10.5709/acp-0245-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The issue of pictorial or propositional nature of imagery remains unresolved. To take a step forward into the debate, we conducted a systematic evaluation of time and accuracy of mental scaling in sighted people. Participants viewed or touched three-dimensional objects and then had to imagine them in a resized version, depending on a given scale. Both the mental scaling time and the estimated object size were measured. To promote verbal or perceptual strategies, the size was estimated verbally or bimanually, respectively. It was found that time taken for mental scaling is a linear function of decreasing and increasing scale and that the modality of perception did not influence the time taken to perform the operation. The results contribute to the knowledge of object size estimation by revealing the interaction between the modality of the object perception and the accuracy of size estimation by sighted adults. The accuracy of estimation was greater when the imagery representation was based on visual rather than tactile perception, but only in the case of verbal size assessment. Verbal height estimation in centimeters showed a tendency towards underestimation, while bimanually estimated sizes tended to be overestimated. The results indicate that people can use pictorial as well as prepositional strategies, depending on the task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Szubielska
- The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Institute of Psychology, Lublin, Poland
| | - Bibianna Bałaj
- Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Faculty of Humanities, Deparment of Psychology, Toruń, Poland
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Lawson R, Ajvani H, Cecchetto S. Effects of Line Separation and Exploration on the Visual and Haptic Detection of Symmetry and Repetition. Exp Psychol 2017; 63:197-214. [PMID: 27750520 PMCID: PMC5082038 DOI: 10.1027/1618-3169/a000329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Detection of regularities (e.g., symmetry, repetition) can be used to investigate object and shape perception. Symmetry and nearby lines may both signal that one object is present, so moving lines apart may disrupt symmetry detection, while repetition may signal that multiple objects are present. Participants discriminated symmetrical/irregular and repeated/irregular pairs of lines. For vision, as predicted, increased line separation disrupted symmetry detection more than repetition detection. For haptics, symmetry and repetition detection were similarly disrupted by increased line separation; also, symmetry was easier to detect than repetition for one-handed exploration and for body midline-aligned stimuli, whereas symmetry was harder to detect than repetition with two-handed exploration of stimuli oriented across the body. These effects of exploration and stimulus orientation show the influence of modality-specific processing rather than properties of the external world on regularity detection. These processes may, in turn, provide insights into the nature of objectness in vision and in touch.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Henna Ajvani
- 1 School of Psychology, University of Liverpool, UK
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Cho Y, Craig JC, Hsiao SS, Bensmaia SJ. Vision is superior to touch in shape perception even with equivalent peripheral input. J Neurophysiol 2016; 115:92-9. [PMID: 26510760 PMCID: PMC4760472 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00654.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2015] [Accepted: 10/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Results from previous studies suggest that two-dimensional spatial patterns are processed similarly in vision and touch when the patterns are equated for effective size or when visual stimuli are blurred to mimic the spatial filtering of the skin. In the present study, we measured subjects' ability to perceive the shape of familiar and unfamiliar visual and tactile patterns to compare form processing in the two modalities. As had been previously done, the two-dimensional tactile and visual patterns were adjusted in size to stimulate an equivalent number of receptors in the two modalities. We also distorted the visual patterns, using a filter that accurately mimics the spatial filtering effected by the skin to further equate the peripheral images in the two modalities. We found that vision consistently outperformed touch regardless of the precise perceptual task and of how familiar the patterns were. Based on an examination of both the earlier and present data, we conclude that visual processing of both familiar and unfamiliar two-dimensional patterns is superior to its tactile counterpart except under very restricted conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoonju Cho
- Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - J C Craig
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana; and
| | - S S Hsiao
- Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - S J Bensmaia
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
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Szubielska M, Marek B. The Role of Visual Experience in Changing the Size of Objects in Imagery Processing. JOURNAL OF VISUAL IMPAIRMENT & BLINDNESS 2015. [DOI: 10.1177/0145482x1510900106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Introduction This paper investigates the question of whether or not subjects who are congenitally blind experience greater difficulties mentally in resizing images of objects than those who have low vision or are adventitiously blind. Methods Two experiments were conducted: one in which subjects were asked to mentally enlarge objects they previously explored manually, and one in which subjects were tested for the ability to demonstrate the change in the size of an object imagined to be moving away. Three groups of high school students with visual impairments took part in the experiment: congenitally blind, “late blind,” and those with low vision. Results When showing the linear size of an object enlarged in their imagination, congenitally blind participants overestimated its size more frequently than those who were late blind. The degree of mental reduction of the size of an object imagined to be moving away was comparable for all groups. Discussion The results suggest that the difficulties experienced by congenitally blind participants with the mental resizing of objects may be related to problems with performing mental scaling transformations. In the low vision group, the etiology of the subjects’ visual impairment was not taken into consideration. The group turned out to be heterogeneous with respect to imagery processes. Implications for practitioners When using models for explaining new concepts, it is important to ensure that congenitally blind learners understand the change of scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Szubielska
- Institute of Psychology, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Al. Racławickie 14, 20–950 Lublin, Poland
| | - Bogusław Marek
- Department of ELT Typhlomethodology and Alternative Communication, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Poland
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Recognizing familiar objects by hand and foot: Haptic shape perception generalizes to inputs from unusual locations and untrained body parts. Atten Percept Psychophys 2014; 76:541-58. [PMID: 24197503 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-013-0559-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The limits of generalization of our 3-D shape recognition system to identifying objects by touch was investigated by testing exploration at unusual locations and using untrained effectors. In Experiments 1 and 2, people found identification by hand of real objects, plastic 3-D models of objects, and raised line drawings placed in front of themselves no easier than when exploration was behind their back. Experiment 3 compared one-handed, two-handed, one-footed, and two-footed haptic object recognition of familiar objects. Recognition by foot was slower (7 vs. 13 s) and much less accurate (9 % vs. 47 % errors) than recognition by either one or both hands. Nevertheless, item difficulty was similar across hand and foot exploration, and there was a strong correlation between an individual's hand and foot performance. Furthermore, foot recognition was better with the largest 20 of the 80 items (32 % errors), suggesting that physical limitations hampered exploration by foot. Thus, object recognition by hand generalized efficiently across the spatial location of stimuli, while object recognition by foot seemed surprisingly good given that no prior training was provided. Active touch (haptics) thus efficiently extracts 3-D shape information and accesses stored representations of familiar objects from novel modes of input.
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Lacey S, Sathian K. Visuo-haptic multisensory object recognition, categorization, and representation. Front Psychol 2014; 5:730. [PMID: 25101014 PMCID: PMC4102085 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2014] [Accepted: 06/23/2014] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual and haptic unisensory object processing show many similarities in terms of categorization, recognition, and representation. In this review, we discuss how these similarities contribute to multisensory object processing. In particular, we show that similar unisensory visual and haptic representations lead to a shared multisensory representation underlying both cross-modal object recognition and view-independence. This shared representation suggests a common neural substrate and we review several candidate brain regions, previously thought to be specialized for aspects of visual processing, that are now known also to be involved in analogous haptic tasks. Finally, we lay out the evidence for a model of multisensory object recognition in which top-down and bottom-up pathways to the object-selective lateral occipital complex are modulated by object familiarity and individual differences in object and spatial imagery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Lacey
- Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - K Sathian
- Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine Atlanta, GA, USA ; Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine Atlanta, GA, USA ; Department of Psychology, Emory University School of Medicine Atlanta, GA, USA ; Rehabilitation Research and Development Center of Excellence, Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center Decatur, GA, USA
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Isolating shape from semantics in haptic-visual priming. Exp Brain Res 2013; 227:311-22. [DOI: 10.1007/s00221-013-3489-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2012] [Accepted: 03/14/2013] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Solid shape discrimination from vision and haptics: natural objects (Capsicum annuum) and Gibson's "feelies". Exp Brain Res 2012; 222:321-32. [PMID: 22918607 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-012-3220-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2012] [Accepted: 08/04/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
A set of three experiments evaluated 96 participants' ability to visually and haptically discriminate solid object shape. In the past, some researchers have found haptic shape discrimination to be substantially inferior to visual shape discrimination, while other researchers have found haptics and vision to be essentially equivalent. A primary goal of the present study was to understand these discrepant past findings and to determine the true capabilities of the haptic system. All experiments used the same task (same vs. different shape discrimination) and stimulus objects (James Gibson's "feelies" and a set of naturally shaped objects--bell peppers). However, the methodology varied across experiments. Experiment 1 used random 3-dimensional (3-D) orientations of the stimulus objects, and the conditions were full-cue (active manipulation of objects and rotation of the visual objects in depth). Experiment 2 restricted the 3-D orientations of the stimulus objects and limited the haptic and visual information available to the participants. Experiment 3 compared restricted and full-cue conditions using random 3-D orientations. We replicated both previous findings in the current study. When we restricted visual and haptic information (and placed the stimulus objects in the same orientation on every trial), the participants' visual performance was superior to that obtained for haptics (replicating the earlier findings of Davidson et al. in Percept Psychophys 15(3):539-543, 1974). When the circumstances resembled those of ordinary life (e.g., participants able to actively manipulate objects and see them from a variety of perspectives), we found no significant difference between visual and haptic solid shape discrimination.
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Fernandes AM, Albuquerque PB. Tactual perception: a review of experimental variables and procedures. Cogn Process 2012; 13:285-301. [PMID: 22669262 DOI: 10.1007/s10339-012-0443-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2012] [Accepted: 05/18/2012] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
This paper reviews the literature on tactual perception. Throughout this review, we will highlight some of the most relevant aspects in the touch literature: type of stimuli; type of participants; type of tactile exploration; and finally, the interaction between touch and other senses. Regarding type of stimuli, we will analyse studies with abstract stimuli such as vibrations, with two- and three-dimensional stimuli, and also concrete stimuli, considering the relation between familiar and unfamiliar stimuli and the haptic perception of faces. Under the "type of participants" topic, we separated studies with blind participants, studies with children and adults, and also performed an overview of sex differences in performance. The type of tactile exploration is explored considering conditions of active and passive touch, the relevance of movement in touch and the relation between haptic exploration and time. Finally, interactions between touch and vision, touch and smell and touch and taste are explored in the last topic. The review ends with an overall conclusion on the state of the art for the tactual perception literature. With this work, we intend to present an organised overview of the main variables in touch experiments, compiling aspects reported in the tactual literature, and attempting to provide both a summary of previous findings, and a guide to the design of future works on tactual perception and memory, through a presentation of implications from previous studies.
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Kalisch T, Kattenstroth JC, Kowalewski R, Tegenthoff M, Dinse HR. Cognitive and tactile factors affecting human haptic performance in later life. PLoS One 2012; 7:e30420. [PMID: 22291952 PMCID: PMC3264587 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0030420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2011] [Accepted: 12/15/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Vision and haptics are the key modalities by which humans perceive objects and interact with their environment in a target-oriented manner. Both modalities share higher-order neural resources and the mechanisms required for object exploration. Compared to vision, the understanding of haptic information processing is still rudimentary. Although it is known that haptic performance, similar to many other skills, decreases in old age, the underlying mechanisms are not clear. It is yet to be determined to what extent this decrease is related to the age-related loss of tactile acuity or cognitive capacity. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We investigated the haptic performance of 81 older adults by means of a cross-modal object recognition test. Additionally, we assessed the subjects' tactile acuity with an apparatus-based two-point discrimination paradigm, and their cognitive performance by means of the non-verbal Raven-Standard-Progressive matrices test. As expected, there was a significant age-related decline in performance on all 3 tests. With the exception of tactile acuity, this decline was found to be more distinct in female subjects. Correlation analyses revealed a strong relationship between haptic and cognitive performance for all subjects. Tactile performance, on the contrary, was only significantly correlated with male subjects' haptic performance. CONCLUSIONS Haptic object recognition is a demanding task in old age, especially when it comes to the exploration of complex, unfamiliar objects. Our data support a disproportionately higher impact of cognition on haptic performance as compared to the impact of tactile acuity. Our findings are in agreement with studies reporting an increase in co-variation between individual sensory performance and general cognitive functioning in old age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Kalisch
- Department of Neurology, BG-Kliniken Bergmannsheil, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
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Lawson R, Bracken S. Haptic Object Recognition: How Important are Depth Cues and Plane Orientation? Perception 2011; 40:576-97. [DOI: 10.1068/p6786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Raised-line drawings of familiar objects are very difficult to identify with active touch only. In contrast, haptically explored real 3-D objects are usually recognised efficiently, albeit slower and less accurately than with vision. Real 3-D objects have more depth information than outline drawings, but also extra information about identity (eg texture, hardness, temperature). Previous studies have not manipulated the availability of depth information in haptic object recognition whilst controlling for other information sources, so the importance of depth cues has not been assessed. In the present experiments, people named plastic small-scale models of familiar objects. Five versions of bilaterally symmetrical objects were produced. Versions varied only in the amount of depth information: minimal for cookie-cutter and filled-in outlines, partial for squashed and half objects, and full for 3-D models. Recognition was faster and much more accurate when more depth information was available, whether exploration was with both hands or just one finger. Novices found it almost impossible to recognise objects explored with two hand-held probes whereas experts succeeded using probes regardless of the amount of depth information. Surprisingly, plane misorientation did not impair recognition. Unlike with vision, depth information, but not object orientation, is extremely important for haptic object recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Lawson
- School of Psychology, University of Liverpool, Eleanor Rathbone Building, Bedford Street South, Liverpool L69 7ZA, UK
| | - Sarah Bracken
- School of Psychology, University of Liverpool, Eleanor Rathbone Building, Bedford Street South, Liverpool L69 7ZA, UK
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