Remote haptic perception of slanted surfaces shows the same scale expansion as visual perception

Abstract

Previous work has shown that overestimates of geographic slant depend on the modality used (verbal or haptic). Recently, that line of reasoning has come into question for many reasons, not the least of which is that the typical method used for measuring "action" has been the use of a palm board, which is not well calibrated to any type of action toward slanted surfaces. In the present work, we investigated how a remote haptic task that has been well calibrated to action in previous work is related to verbal overestimates of slanted surfaces that are out of reach. The results show that haptic estimates are perceptually equivalent to the verbal overestimates that have been found in numerous previous studies. This work shows that the haptic perceptual system is scaled in the same way as the visual perceptual system for estimating the orientation of slanted surfaces that are out of reach.

Perceived azimuth direction is exaggerated: Converging evidence from explicit and implicit measures

“…With regard to perceived slant, evidence of consistent and systematic orientation biases have been reported in the haptic perception of slant (Durgin & Li, 2012 ; Hajnal, Abdul-Malak, & Durgin, 2011 ; Shaffer & McManama, 2015 ) as well as in the proprioception of hand orientation (Li & Durgin, 2012b ). With respect to perceived azimuth direction, angular scale expansion has additionally been discovered in the vestibular perception of heading direction (e.g., Cuturi & MacNeilage, 2013 ).…”

Pitching people with an inversion table: Estimates of body orientation are tipped as much as those of visual surfaces

“…Consistent with this, the aforementioned remote haptic perception work from our laboratory has investigated people's exploring a ramp sloped at different angles using a 1 m wooden dowel rod that they hold in their hand, without looking at the ramp. They overestimate the angles by a factor of 1.5, the same factor of overestimation given by people looking at the ramp and giving verbal estimates (Shaffer & McManama, 2015). Figure 3 shows verbal estimates of a visually perceived sloped ramp, verbal estimates after haptic exploration of the same ramp with a wooden dowel, and the current estimates of the angles when being tilted in the inversion table.…”

“…For instance, recently, measures of matching extent and remote haptic perception have been supportive of a single underlying representation that is exaggerated to the same extent as the results are for verbal and visual matching estimates Shaffer & McManama, 2015). Li and Durgin (2010) had one group of people compare the relative length of a frontal extent to that of an extent that was placed up a virtual hill (tilted back in depth).…”

“…The implicit slant measure gave the same results of the verbal estimates-both showed the same exaggeration of all slants. Shaffer and McManama (2015) used a remote haptic device in which the participant holds one end of a wooden dowel (~1-1.5 m in length) while exploring an~1 m inclined surface. The remote haptic task allows exploration of the surface itself, using proprioceptive feedback, and is also an action-based measure very good at affording appropriate action upon the same slanted surface on which it is used (Fitzpatrick, Carello, Schmidt, & Corey, 1994;Malek & Wagman, 2008;Regia-Corte & Wagman, 2008).…”

“…Spatial orientation . PitchFor the last two decades, a wealth of evidence shows that people overestimate the slant of both geographical and manmade slopes by between 5°and 25° (Bhalla & Proffitt, 1999;Bridgeman & Hoover, 2008;Creem & Proffitt, 1998; CreemRegehr, Gooch, Sahm, & Thompson, 2004;Durgin & Li, 2011;Durgin, Li, & Hajnal, 2010;Hajnal, Abdul-Malak, & Durgin, 2011;Proffitt, Bhalla, Gossweiler, & Midgett, 1995;Proffitt, Creem & Zosh, 2001;Shaffer & Flint, 2011;Shaffer & McManama, 2015;Stefanucci, Proffitt, Clore, & Parekh, 2008;Witt & Proffitt, 2007). Much less work has been performed on people's perception of their own body orientation in the pitch dimension, and the results of some of this work are difficult to interpret.…”