The Perception of Relative Mass in Physical Collisions

Researchers (Gilden & Proffitt, 1989; Runeson & Vedeler, 1993; Todd & Warren, 1982) have tested Runeson's (1977) claim that the relation between a collision . . event's dynamics and kinematics might support perception of the relative mass of colliding objects. Results have been inconsistent; however, these studies employed computer-generated collisions as stimuli. The present research assessed observer's ability to report relative mass in the context of physical objects involved in physical collisions. The results indicate greater sensitivity to relative mass than had been found with animations-based studies. Implications of these data for the kinematic specification of dynamics (KSD) principle of dynamics perception (Runeson & Frykholm, 1983) and a cue-heuristics theory of dynamics perception (Gilden & Proffitt, 1989) are discussed.

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