Touch can change visual slant perception

Nat Neurosci. 2000 Jan;3(1):69-73. doi: 10.1038/71140.

Abstract

The visual system uses several signals to deduce the three-dimensional structure of the environment, including binocular disparity, texture gradients, shading and motion parallax. Although each of these sources of information is independently insufficient to yield reliable three-dimensional structure from everyday scenes, the visual system combines them by weighting the available information; altering the weights would therefore change the perceived structure. We report that haptic feedback (active touch) increases the weight of a consistent surface-slant signal relative to inconsistent signals. Thus, appearance of a subsequently viewed surface is changed: the surface appears slanted in the direction specified by the haptically reinforced signal.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Biofeedback, Psychology / physiology*
  • Data Display
  • Depth Perception / physiology*
  • Distance Perception / physiology
  • Humans
  • Photic Stimulation
  • Space Perception / physiology
  • Surface Properties
  • Touch / physiology*