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Progressive locomotor recalibration during blind walking.
John W Philbeck1, Adam J Woods, Joeanna Arthur
1Department of Psychology, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA. philbeck@gwu.edu
Perception & Psychophysics
|December 10, 2008
Summary
Blind walking accuracy decreases with experience as participants walk further over time. This adaptation in nonvisual locomotion affects perceived target location, impacting research findings.
Area of Science:
- Human locomotion
- Perception and psychophysics
- Proprioception
Background:
- Blind walking is a common method to assess perceived target location.
- Systematic variations in blind walking during experimental sessions may complicate interpretation.
- Understanding these variations is crucial for accurate spatial perception research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if blind walking performance changes with increased exposure within an experimental session.
- To determine how nonvisual locomotion adaptation affects walked distance, velocity, and pace length.
- To examine the influence of nonvisual walking experience on spatial awareness and movement bias.
Main Methods:
- Participants performed blind walking trials over various target distances (1.5-16.0 m) in indoor and outdoor settings.
- Measurements included walked distance, velocity, and pace length across 37 trials.
- A blindfolded marching-in-place task assessed forward drift after nonvisual walking exposure.
Main Results:
- Walked distance increased by approximately 9.33% of the target distance over 37 trials.
- Velocity and pace length increased, particularly in the initial trials.
- Increased unintentional forward drift was observed after participants gained nonvisual walking experience.
Conclusions:
- Increased exposure to nonvisual locomotion leads to adaptive changes in blind walking.
- Participants tend to walk progressively longer distances with more experience, potentially due to increased confidence and altered motor control.
- These findings highlight the need to account for learning effects in blind walking studies of perceived location.
