title: Path integration in tactile perception of shapes.
abstract: Whenever we move the hand across a surface, tactile signals provide information about the relative velocity between the skin and the surface. If the system were able to integrate the tactile velocity information over time, cutaneous touch may provide an estimate of the relative displacement between the hand and the surface. Here, we asked whether humans are able to form a reliable representation of the motion path from tactile cues only, integrating motion information over time. In order to address this issue, we conducted three experiments using tactile motion and asked participants (1) to estimate the length of a simulated triangle, (2) to reproduce the shape of a simulated triangular path, and (3) to estimate the angle between two-line segments. Participants were able to accurately indicate the length of the path, whereas the perceived direction was affected by a direction bias (inward bias). The response pattern was thus qualitatively similar to the ones reported in classical path integration studies involving locomotion. However, we explain the directional biases as the result of a tactile motion aftereffect.
authors.affiliation: Cognitive Neuroscience Department, Bielefeld University, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany; Cognitive Interaction Technology-Center of Excellence, Bielefeld University, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany. Electronic address: alessandro.moscatelli@uni-bielefeld.de.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moscatelli
authors.affiliation: Cognitive Neuroscience Department, Bielefeld University, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany; Cognitive Interaction Technology-Center of Excellence, Bielefeld University, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany.
authors.forename: Abdeldjallil
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Naceri
authors.affiliation: Cognitive Neuroscience Department, Bielefeld University, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany; Cognitive Interaction Technology-Center of Excellence, Bielefeld University, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany.
authors.forename: Marc O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Ernst
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand / Q000294:innervation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009038:Motion; D009039:Motion Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology; D046709:Pattern Recognition, Physiological / Q000502:physiology*; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology*; D055698:Touch Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Motion aftereffect; Path Integration; Tactile motion