Abstract
Perception of whether a given behavior is possible typically reflects a person’s action capabilities even before the behavior is performed and even when the person has undergone recent changes to their action capabilities. Importantly, perception of affordances for a given behavior also reflects impending changes to action capabilities. Two experiments investigated perception of affordances for reaching when the means of reaching would bring about changes in reaching ability. Experiment 1 found that perception of maximum reaching height is relative to impending changes brought on by a change in posture and use of a hand-held tool. Experiment 2 found that practice performing a reaching task in which reaching ability is unchanged is sufficient to bring about improvements in perception of maximum reaching height when the means of reaching would change reaching ability. The results are discussed in the context of the prospectivity of perception of affordances, and the experiences that may be necessary to bring about (transfer of) improvements in perception of affordances.
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Notes
The mean ratio in the pre-test of the no-reach (.88) is high compared the mean ratio in the post-test (.89). This is primarily due to the contribution of two participants in the no-reach condition. When these participants are removed, the mean is somewhat lower (.86) but there is no change in the pattern of the results.
The fact that the main effect of Test is accompanied by an interaction of Test × Expected Tool Use serves to rule of the possibility that post-test perceptual reports are merely pre-test perceptual reports plus a constant. If this were the case, there would be a main effect of Test but no interaction.
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Acknowledgments
During the writing of this manuscript, the author was supported, in part, by a Summer Faculty Fellowship from the College of Arts and Sciences at Illinois State University. I thank Lydia Morgan for help with data collection, Dawn McBride for helpful discussion, and two anonymous reviewers for comments on a previous draft of this manuscript.
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Wagman, J.B. Perception of maximum reaching height reflects impending changes in reaching ability and improvements transfer to unpracticed reaching tasks. Exp Brain Res 219, 467–476 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-012-3104-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-012-3104-x