Integration of force and position cues for shape perception through active touch.
This article systematically explores cue integration within active touch. Our research builds upon a recently made distinction between position and force cues for haptic shape perception: when sliding a finger across a bumpy surface, the finger follows the surface geometry (position cue). At the same time, the finger is exposed to forces related to the slope of the surface (force cue). Experiment 1 independently varied force and position cues to the curvature of 3D arches. Perceived curvature could be well described as a weighted average of the two cues. Experiment 2 found more weight of the position cue for more convex high arches and higher weight of the force cue for less convex shallow arches--probably mediated through a change in relative cue reliability. Both findings are in good agreement with the maximum-likelihood estimation (MLE) model for cue integration and, thus, carry this model over to the domain of active haptic perception.
Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany. Knut.Drewing@psychol.uni-giessen.de
Knut
K
Drewing
Marc O
MO
Ernst
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003463:Cues; D003867:Depth Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005385:Fingers / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D011601:Psychophysics / Q000379:methods; D013236:Stereognosis / Q000502:physiology*; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology*