The Influence of Facing Direction on the Haptic Identification of Two-Dimensional Raised Pictures

It has been hypothesized (Lederman et al, 1990 Perception & Psychophysics 47 54–64) that sighted people adopt a visual translation process when attempting to identify 2-D raised images by touch—they employ a visual image as a mediator between haptic sensory information and the object representation. If this hypothesis is correct, the performance in identifying pictures by touch (with eyes closed) ought to be better when the head is facing the picture than when facing in a very different direction. In this study, thirty-six blindfolded participants were required to identify raised pictures of common objects with their head facing either in the same direction as the raised picture or in an orthogonal direction. Identification performance was measured in terms of accuracy and response latencies. Overall, participants were more accurate and faster when their heads faced in the same direction as the picture. This finding is discussed in terms of spatial congruency between haptic representations of pictures and visual (or spatial) imagery created during exploration of haptic pictures.

[1]  R. Klatzky,et al.  Haptic identification of objects and their depictions , 1993, Perception & psychophysics.

[2]  J. G. Snodgrass,et al.  A standardized set of 260 pictures: norms for name agreement, image agreement, familiarity, and visual complexity. , 1980, Journal of experimental psychology. Human learning and memory.

[3]  Roberta L. Klatzky,et al.  Functional Equivalence of Spatial Images Produced by Perception and Spatial Language , 2007 .

[4]  Morton A. Heller,et al.  Pattern Perception and Pictures for the Blind , 2005 .

[5]  R. Ratcliff.  Methods for dealing with reaction time outliers. , 1993, Psychological bulletin.

[6]  M. Ikeda,et al.  Integrating time for visual pattern perception and a comparison with the tactile mode , 1978, Vision Research.

[7]  John M Kennedy,et al.  Viewpoint and Orientation Influence Picture Recognition in the Blind , 2006, Perception.

[8]  M. Heller.  Picture and Pattern Perception in the Sighted and the Blind: The Advantage of the Late Blind , 1989, Perception.

[9]  D. F. Marks,et al.  Visual imagery differences in the recall of pictures. , 1973, British journal of psychology.

[10]  Wayne D. Gray,et al.  Basic objects in natural categories , 1976, Cognitive Psychology.

[11]  R. Klatzky,et al.  Similarity of Tactual and Visual Picture Recognition with Limited Field of View , 1991, Perception.

[12]  R. Klatzky,et al.  Visual mediation and the haptic recognition of two-dimensional pictures of common objects , 1990, Perception & psychophysics.

[13]  J. Kennedy,et al.  Exploring pictures tactually , 1980, Nature.