TY - JOUR
T1 - Touching curvature and feeling size: a contrast illusion
AU - Plaisier, M.A.
AU - Ernst, M.O.
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - We know that our eyes can be deceiving. Here we demonstrate that we should not always trust our sense of touch either. Previous studies have shown that when pinching an object between thumb and index finger, we can under many circumstances accurately perceive its size. In contrast, the current results show that the local curvature at the areas of contact between the object and the fingers causes systematic under- or overestimation of the object's size. This is rather surprising given that local curvature is not directly related to the object's size. We suggest an explanation in terms of a contrast between the finger separation and an inferred relationship between local curvature and size. This study provides the first demonstration of an illusory haptic size percept caused by local curvature in a pinch grip. © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2013.
AB - We know that our eyes can be deceiving. Here we demonstrate that we should not always trust our sense of touch either. Previous studies have shown that when pinching an object between thumb and index finger, we can under many circumstances accurately perceive its size. In contrast, the current results show that the local curvature at the areas of contact between the object and the fingers causes systematic under- or overestimation of the object's size. This is rather surprising given that local curvature is not directly related to the object's size. We suggest an explanation in terms of a contrast between the finger separation and an inferred relationship between local curvature and size. This study provides the first demonstration of an illusory haptic size percept caused by local curvature in a pinch grip. © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2013.
U2 - 10.1163/22134808-00002430
DO - 10.1163/22134808-00002430
M3 - Article
VL - 26
SP - 457
EP - 463
JO - Multisensory Research
JF - Multisensory Research
SN - 2213-4794
ER -