Assessing tactile perception: effects of different visual barriers on performance.

Blindfolding candidates when testing their tactile performance may increase their anxiety. This study examined whether different visual barriers would influence tactile performance on timed tasks. It was hypothesised that candidates using a blindfold would be more anxious, but that they would benefit by the potentially positive effects of arousal on performance and not differ from candidates using a screen to limit visual access to task material. 200 participants (ages 19 to 30 years), randomly assigned to the two conditions, completed a tactile perception task, as well as an anxiety scale. In contrast to the expected outcome, the screen sample took significantly longer to complete the task. This was hypothesised to be the result of increased distraction given competing cross-modal attentional demands and the consequent visual and tactile attention switching. Practitioners may need to consider the influences of visual interference when assessing tactile performance.