Perspective image comprehension depends on both visual and proprioceptive information

Atten Percept Psychophys. 2014 Nov;76(8):2477-84. doi: 10.3758/s13414-014-0731-2.

Abstract

Proprioceptive information can supplement visual information in the comprehension of ambiguous perspective images. The importance of proprioceptive information in unambiguous perspective image comprehension is untested, however. We explored the role of proprioception in perspective image comprehension using three experiments in which participants took or imagined taking an upward- or downward-oriented posture and then made judgments about images viewed from below or viewed from above. Participants were faster and more accurate in their judgments when their actual or simulated posture was consistent with the posture implied by the perspective of the image they were judging. These results support a role for proprioception in the comprehension of unambiguous perspective images as well as ambiguous perspective images.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Comprehension
  • Humans
  • Posture
  • Proprioception / physiology*
  • Visual Perception / physiology*
  • Young Adult