Task specificity and anatomical independence in perception of properties by means of a wielded object

Behavior is typically organized with respect to a goal to be achieved rather than the anatomical components used in doing so. Similarly, perception is typically organized with respect to a property to be perceived rather than the anatomical components used in doing so. Such task specificity and anatomical independence is manifest in perception of properties of a wielded object. In 6 experiments, we investigated whether these properties might also be manifest in perception of properties by means of a wielded object. In particular, we investigated perception of whether a surface could be stood on when the object used to explore that surface is wielded by the preferred and nonpreferred hands (Experiment 1), by 1 or both hands (Experiment 2), by different 2-handed grips (Experiment 3), and by entirely different limbs (i.e., the hand and the foot, Experiments 4-6). In general, the results show that perception reflected the action capabilities of the perceiver but was largely unaffected by the (configurations of) anatomical components used to wield the object. The results highlight the haptic system as a smart perceptual device and as a multifractal biotensegrity structure.