Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 12, 2026
07:19
A Modified Lean and Release Technique to Emphasize Response Inhibition and Action Selection in Reactive Balance
Published on: March 19, 2020
6.5K
Implied actions between paired objects lead to affordance selection by inhibition
Shan Xu1, Glyn W Humphreys2, Dietmar Heinke1
1School of Psychology, University of Birmingham.
Summary
When objects are positioned for interaction, the active object
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Perception Science
Background:
- Object perception typically involves automatic affordance extraction.
- Previous research focused on single objects, leaving between-object interactions understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how implied actions between object pairs influence affordance processing.
- To determine if object positioning for interaction affects affordance prioritization and inhibition.
Main Methods:
- Participants performed speeded response tasks to targets following images of object pairs.
- Object orientation and colocation were manipulated to indicate correct or incorrect interaction potential.
- Response times were analyzed based on object roles (active vs. passive) and interaction context.
Main Results:
- Correct object positioning for interaction prioritized the active object over the passive object.
- Responses congruent with the passive object were slower when objects appeared interactive.
- Inhibitory effects on passive object affordances were observed under conditions of competition.
Conclusions:
- Object pairs in interaction contexts trigger affordance selection mechanisms.
- Passive objects in interactive pairs can be inhibited when competing with active objects.
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