title: Interceptive timing: prior knowledge matters.
abstract: Fast interceptive actions, such as catching a ball, rely upon accurate and precise information from vision. Recent models rely on flexible combinations of visual angle and its rate of expansion of which the tau parameter is a specific case. When an object approaches an observer, however, its trajectory may introduce bias into tau-like parameters that render these computations unacceptable as the sole source of information for actions. Here we show that observer knowledge of object size influences their action timing, and known size combined with image expansion simplifies the computations required to make interceptive actions and provides a route for experience to influence interceptive action.
authors.affiliation: Grup d'Atenció, Acció i Percepció, GRNC, Parc Científic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. j.lopezmoliner@ub.edu
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: López-Moliner
authors.forename: David T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Field
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Wann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003463:Cues; D006801:Humans; D008960:Models, Psychological; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D012858:Size Perception / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology