The effect of haptic information on visual illusion –active touch vs. passive touch-
Poster Presentation

Keiko Omori
Department of Psychology, Nihon University; Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Keisuke Saito
Department of Psychology, Nihon University

Satoru Mimura
Department of Psychology, Nihon University

Yukio Itsukushima
Department of Psychology, Nihon University

Kaoru Noguchi
Department of Psychology, Nihon University

     Abstract ID Number: 129
     Full text: Not available
     Last modified: March 18, 2006
     Presentation date: 06/19/2006 4:00 PM in Hamilton Building, Foyer
     (View Schedule)

Abstract
It has been pointed out that active touch is generally 'better' than passive touch for organizing the sensory information (Gibson, 1962). In the present study, we investigated the effect of haptic information by active and passive touch on visual illusion using the Hering and Wundt figures. Haptic stimuli which had various curvatures were made of different shapes of wooden board. (Also, no touching condition was prepared as a control.) We controlled the ways of touching: participants in active touch condition were allowed to touch haptic stimuli by themselves, while participants in passive touch condition were prohibited from moving their hands but haptic stimuli were moved by a mechanical device. Participants judged the extent of apparent curvature of each visual test figure. The result shows that visual illusion varied depending on whether haptic information was given or not: the amount of visual illusion was changed with haptic information in the sense that visual responses were biased to the attribute of haptic information. Although active touch affected vision more markedly than passive touch, the apparent curvature was biased toward the information given by active touch as well as passive touch.