What visually directed action reveals about perception of ambulatory space

In 1992, this journal published one of the most influential articles in the field of visual space perception and action ("Visual Space Perception and Visually Directed Action" by Jack Loomis, José Da Silva, Naofumi Fujita, and Sergio Fukusima). Loomis et al. showed that in the scale of space that accommodates ambulatory locomotion, perception of locations and that of the distance between them are dissociated. This dissociation is particularly notable when the perceived locations form an interval that is parallel to an observer's sagittal body axis: While the interval appears to be much shorter than it physically is, indication of its two ends through action-based measures (e.g., walking to them without vision) yields no evidence of such perceptual foreshortening. The current article briefly reviews the literature that follows this discovery and discusses its lasting influence. In particular, the authors focus on the view articulated by Loomis et al.-open-loop motoric tasks are particularly useful for measuring perception of ambulatory space-and point out that it continues to be relevant to cutting-edge research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).