Menger Rudmer, Withagen Rob
University of Groningen, Groningen 9700 AD, The Netherlands.
Atten Percept Psychophys. 2009 Nov;71(8):1862-75. doi: 10.3758/APP.71.8.1862.
Earlier studies have revealed that both mechanical context and feedback determine what mechanical invariant is used to perceive length by dynamic touch. In the present article, the authors examined how these two factors jointly constrain the informational variable that is relied upon. Participants were to judge length while wielding a rod or while holding it stationary. In two experiments, it was tested whether perceptual learning effects in the wielding condition transferred to the holding condition and vice versa. There was an asymmetry in transfer across mechanical conditions: Improvements in the holding context transferred to the wielding condition, but not vice versa. Examining the individuals' exploitation of mechanical variables, we found that, after feedback, participants changed in information usage in both mechanical conditions. For many participants, these changes were not confined to the mechanical context in which the feedback was provided. Indeed, feedback in one mechanical context brought about changes in information usage that often manifested themselves in the other mechanical condition. The authors explore the implications of these findings for research on perceptual learning in dynamic touch and the salience hypothesis.
早期研究表明，机械环境和反馈都决定了通过动态触摸感知长度时所使用的机械不变量。在本文中，作者研究了这两个因素如何共同限制所依赖的信息变量。参与者在挥动一根杆或握住它静止不动时判断长度。在两个实验中，测试了挥动条件下的知觉学习效应是否会转移到握持条件，反之亦然。在不同机械条件之间的转移存在不对称性：握持环境下的改善会转移到挥动条件，但反之则不然。通过研究个体对机械变量的利用情况，我们发现，在有反馈之后，参与者在两种机械条件下的信息使用都发生了变化。对于许多参与者来说，这些变化并不局限于提供反馈的机械环境。事实上，在一种机械环境下的反馈会导致信息使用的变化，而这些变化往往会在另一种机械条件下表现出来。作者探讨了这些发现对动态触摸中的知觉学习研究和显著性假设的意义。
