University of Grenoble Alpes, University of Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LPNC, Grenoble, France.
University of Paris Nanterre, LICAE, Nanterre, France.
Psychon Bull Rev. 2020 Apr;27(2):301-306. doi: 10.3758/s13423-019-01686-7.
Witt and Proffit (Human Perception and Performance, 34 (6), 1479-1492, 2008) hypothesized that when people intend to reach a target, they run a motor simulation allowing them to anticipate potential reaching constraints and outcomes, which in turn affects spatial perception. They reported that participants estimated targets to be closer to them when they intended to use a reach-extending tool, but only when they did not perform a concurrent motor task. The authors concluded that the concurrent motor task prevented the simulation of tool-use and its effect on perception. Reported here is a replication that extends their work through an additional control group and a larger sample size. Our results failed to support either the role of motor simulation in the tool-use effect on distance estimation or the tool-use effect itself. Moreover, a reanalysis of Witt and Proffitt's data suggested that they should have been more nuanced in their own conclusions. Further replications are needed in order to elucidate the existence, nature, boundary conditions, and underlying mechanisms of the action constraint effects on space perception.
威特和普罗菲特（《人类感知与表现》，第 34（6）卷，1479-1492 页，2008）假设当人们打算到达一个目标时，他们会进行一种运动模拟，使他们能够预测潜在的到达限制和结果，这反过来又会影响空间感知。他们报告说，当参与者打算使用延伸工具时，他们会估计目标离他们更近，但前提是他们没有同时进行运动任务。作者得出的结论是，同时进行的运动任务阻止了工具使用的模拟及其对感知的影响。这里报告的是一项通过增加一个对照组和更大的样本量来扩展他们工作的复制研究。我们的结果既不支持运动模拟在工具使用对距离估计的影响中所起的作用，也不支持工具使用本身的作用。此外，对威特和普罗菲特数据的重新分析表明，他们在自己的结论中应该更加细致。为了阐明对空间感知的动作约束效应的存在、性质、边界条件和潜在机制，还需要进一步的复制研究。
