Abstract
The representational momentum (RM) effect is a memory-based behavioral representation of our ability to understand or perceive a moving object’s (“target’s”) momentum. Typically, observers misremember a target’s location as farther along the target’s path than the target was located. Moreover, the magnitude of the RM effect decreases when a target is perceived to move against natural forces and increases when moving with natural forces, like gravity or friction. In the current study we investigated if participants perceive drag force through a target’s physical characteristics and subsequently attribute a larger RM effect to more aerodynamic targets (lower drag force). Participants judged four unique targets (semicircles) that differed in size and leading edge (curved or flat side). These characteristics were used to calculate a theoretical drag force value for each target (~117, 202, 234, 404 g*cm/sec2). Over 288 trials, participants observed the target move across a monitor and offset. Participants then marked the location at which they last saw the target. Participants’ average displacement (response location – target location) was positive, supporting the RM effect (~13px). There was a significant drag by direction interaction (p< .001). A simple effects analysis of drag split by direction demonstrated that when targets moved leftward, participants displayed larger displacement for the least aerodynamic target compared to the most aerodynamic target (p< .001). However, for rightward moving targets, participants demonstrated larger displacement for the second most aerodynamic target compared to both the least (p= .023) and second least aerodynamic targets (p= .013). Our results support the RM effect, and potentially suggest that participants perceive our targets differently, but further research is required to determine what target information is driving these differences.