The effect of perceptual grouping on haptic numerosity perception
Krista E Overvliet, Kim Verlaers, Ralf Th Krampe, Johan Wagemans

Date: 2012-06-21 01:30 PM – 03:00 PM
Last modified: 2012-04-27

Abstract


In order to investigate the effect of perceptual grouping on haptic numerosity perception, we asked participants to explore tangible dot patterns and report the number of dots present in the display. We hypothesized that when there are subsets of dots that can be grouped together, exploration time will be shorter as compared to a display where no grouping takes place. The base display consists of dots that are equally spaced on a straight line. We manipulated subset grouping by using both proximity and configurational cues. By placing subsets of dots closer together or placing them in a spatial configuration (e.g. in a triangular shape with three dots, or a rectangular shape with four dots), while keeping the total exploration distance constant, we expected to find shorter exploration times as compared to the base display. The results indeed show that both these cues yield faster exploration. We therefore conclude that both proximity and configurational information can influence haptic grouping for numerosity judgments.

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