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An action-specific effect on perception that avoids all pitfalls.

Jessica K Witt1, Mila Sugovic2, Nathan L Tenhundfeld1

  • 1Department of Psychology,College of Natural Sciences,Colorado State University,Fort Collins,CO 80523;jessica.witt@colostate.edunate.tenhundfeld@colostate.eduzach.king@colostate.eduhttp://amplab.colostate.edu.

The Behavioral and Brain Sciences
|March 31, 2017
PubMed
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Action directly influences how we see the world. For example, objects that are easier to reach appear closer, demonstrating a top-down effect of action on visual perception.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Visual Perception

Background:

  • The visual system is traditionally viewed as a passive processor of sensory information.
  • Emerging evidence suggests top-down influences, where cognitive factors modulate visual processing.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the influence of motor action on visual perception.
  • To provide evidence for action-specific effects on visual experience.
  • To rule out alternative explanations for observed effects.

Main Methods:

  • Experimental manipulation of object reachability.
  • Behavioral measurements of perceived object properties (e.g., distance, speed).
  • Analysis to exclude potential confounding factors ('pitfalls').

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Objects requiring less motor effort (easier to reach) were perceived as closer.
  • Objects requiring less motor effort (easier to catch) were perceived as slower.
  • The observed effects could not be explained by six common methodological pitfalls.

Conclusions:

  • Motor actions exert a specific influence on visual perception.
  • Vision is not an isolated module but is modulated by action planning and execution.
  • Demonstrates a significant top-down influence of action on perception.