How far away is that? It depends on you: Perception accounts for the abilities of others

Perception is believed to scale the world to reflect one's own capabilities for action-objects that are more effortful to obtain are perceived as further away. Somewhat surprisingly, perception is also influenced by observing another person attempt an action, even though others cannot directly alter one's own capabilities. It is unknown, however, whether the effects of observation reflect a simulation of one acting as if from the perspective of the actor, or whether they reflect simulation of the potential effects of the actor on the environment, but from the observer's own point of view. In 2 experiments, we had an actor and an observer view a scene from opposing viewpoints. Enhancement of the actor's capabilities to reach a target object caused the target to appear further from the observer. Thus, in addition to indexing one's own capabilities, the perceptual system also scales the world to account for the potential effects of others.