Perceiving Affordances for Aperture Passage in an Environment–Person–Person System

Abstract

The authors investigated the perception of affordances for aperture passage in an environment-person-person (E-P-P) system, which comprised an adult perceiver and a child as a companion. Perceivers were 8 large and 8 small female undergraduates and were companioned with 1 large and 1 small girl. The perceivers perceptually judged the minimum aperture width for the E-P-P system, and then the adult-child dyads (a pair of people) actually walked through to determine the system's actual minimum aperture width. Results demonstrated that perceivers precisely judged the action capabilities of an E-P-P system on the basis of the body-scaled information of each adult-child dyad. The findings extended the previous concept of affordances for an environment-person system to affordances for an E-P-P system.

An ecological stance on risk and safe behaviors in children: The role of affordances and emergent behaviors

“…In such cases, the affordances for the adult-child dyad are usually different from those of either the child or the adult. Importantly, adults are able to perceive the dyad's affordances when interacting with a child (Chang, Wade, & Stoffregen, 2009). On the other hand, children might also adjust their behavior when interacting with adults.…”

Relating spatial perspective taking to the perception of other's affordances: providing a foundation for predicting the future behavior of others

“…Further, different action capabilities may result as two observers coordinate their actions (Isenhower et al, 2010). Chang et al (2009) took this approach in an environment-person-person system, testing whether adults would accurately estimate their ability to pass through an aperture while walking through with a child. The adult and child were attached with a Velcro strip at the child's elbow and the adult's wrist.…”

Static and Dynamic Visual Information about the Size and Passability of an Aperture

“…Stationary observers perceive apertures as passable without shoulder rotation when the width of the aperture is 15-20% greater than the width of their shoulders, reflecting a safety buffer consistent with that which is observed when people actually walk through apertures (Warren & Whang, 1987). Furthermore, passability is perceived in a way that accurately takes into account increases in lateral sway that accompany running (Wagman & Malek, 2007) and increases in effective body width that result from carrying an object or walking side-by-side with another person (Chang, Wade, & Stoffregen, 2009; Wagman & Malek, 2007; Wagman & Taylor, 2005). Wheelchair users can accurately account for their extended bodily dimensions, albeit only after extensive experience (Higuchi, et al, 2006; Higuchi, Takada, Matsuura, & Imanaka, 2004; Savelsbergh, Douwes Dekker, Vermeer, & Hopkins, 1998).…”