Abstract
Perceived distance is anisotropic in such a way that perceived distances towards horizon are perceived as shorter than perceived distances towards zenith. Since this anisotropy is affected by proprioceptive and vestibular information, we assumed that it might be the consequence of gravity integration into perceptual-action schemes. Since, for example, reaching for something upwards opposes gravity, increasing of perceived distance in that direction helps, because it suggests that more effort is needed and therefore action is performed more easily. This assumption leads us towards the question what happens with anisotropy in sportsmen whose movements must be precise in various directions. Aim of this research was to compare perceived distance anisotropy between participants who train or who do not train sport in which eye-hand coordination is demanded on various directions. Experiment was performed on two groups of 30 participants in total, 15 out of which actively train basketball. Participants matched egocentric distances of two stimuli in a dark, on horizontal and vertical directions. Stimuli were dim lights, 6*4cm in size, placed on three standard distances 1m, 3m and 4m. Results show that there is a significant interaction between viewing direction and distance (anisotropy appears only on further distances) and between viewing direction and participant group (anisotropy is larger in a group which trains basketball). Based on this result, we can say that, when precise action is demanded, anisotropy increases, meaning that larger anisotropy might lead to more precise action. This finding is in line with our hypothesis on gravity integration into perceptual-action schemes.
Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2013