title: Superior spatial touch: improved haptic orientation processing in deaf individuals.
abstract: The present study investigated haptic spatial orientation processing in deaf signers, hearing sign language interpreters, and hearing controls. Blindfolded participants had to set two bars parallel in the horizontal plane, with either a 2-s or a 10-s delay between inspection of the reference bar and the setting of the test bar. The deaf group outperformed the other two groups which did not differ from each other. Together these results indicate that deaf individuals can better identify the allocentric spatial coordinates of haptically inspected orientations. These results are discussed in terms of the possible neurocognitive consequences of auditory deprivation.
authors.affiliation: School of Sign Language Interpreting, HU University of Applied Sciences, Padualaan 97, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Rick
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van Dijk
authors.forename: Astrid M L
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Kappers
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Postma
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D003638:Deafness / Q000151:congenital / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology*; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D012813:Sign Language; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology*; D014732:Vibration; D055815:Young Adult
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