Within reach but not so reachable: Obstacles matter in visual perception of distances

Article Article scientifique Article Within reach but not so reachable: Obstacles matter in visual perception of distances eng 2013 author Morgado Nicolas 797264 author Gentaz Edouard 0000-0003-0574-5557 123382 author Guinet Eric author Osiurak François author Palluel-Germain Richard 462-467 10.3758/s13423-012-0358-z 23242800 1531-5320 http://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13423-012-0358-z/fulltext.html A large number of studies have shown that effort influences the visual perception of reaching distance. These studies have mainly focused on the effects of reach-relevant properties of the body and of the objects that people intend to reach. However, any influence of the reach-relevant properties of the surrounding environment remains still speculative. We investigated this topic in terms of the role of obstacle width in perceiving distances. Participants had to estimate the straight-line distance to a cylinder located just behind a transparent barrier of varying width. The results showed that participants perceived the straight-line distance to the cylinder as being longer when they intended to grasp the cylinder by reaching around a wide transparent barrier rather than by reaching around narrower ones. Interestingly, this effect might be due to the anticipated effort involved in reaching. Together, our results show that reach-relevant properties of the surrounding environment influence perceived distances, thereby supporting an embodied view of the visual perception of space. true Psychonomic bulletin & review 20 3 20fc07e3-2581-47d4-a0b2-4769da7ebcd0 Article (Accepted version) Public 14-11-12-PBR_MorgadoversionWEB.pdf 288927 application/pdf openAccess

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Within reach but not so reachable: Obstacles matter in visual perception of distances	Psychonomic bulletin & review			2013	700	537

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Morgado, Nicolas