The effects of volume on perceived heaviness by dynamic touch: With and without vision

The influence of volume on perceived heaviness was investigated. In Experiment 1, observers judged the heaviness of unseen objects that varied in either length or width. For sets of objects with a constant mass, participants reported a decrease in perceived heaviness accompanying an increase in width and an increase in perceived heaviness accompanying an increase in length. These results were consistent with the inertial model of weight perception by dynamic touch (Amazeen & Turvey, 1996). In Experiment 2, when observers could view the stimuli in their hand, there was an overall decrease in perceived heaviness accompanying all increases in volume. Patterns in perceived heaviness consistent with the inertial model were still observed. Two conclusions could be made. First, the effects of volume on the perception of heaviness by dynamic touch are qualitatively different across situations in which the stimuli are occluded and when they are in view. Second, when the stimuli are both held and viewed, the resulting perception of heaviness appears to reflect the combined influences of both vision and dynamic touch.