Tactile-Based Pantomime Grasping: Knowledge of Results is Not Enough to Support an Absolute Calibration

J Mot Behav. 2019;51(1):10-18. doi: 10.1080/00222895.2017.1408559. Epub 2017 Dec 13.

Abstract

Tactile-based pantomime-grasping requires that a performer use their right hand to 'grasp' a target previously held in the palm of their opposite hand - a task examining how mechanoreceptive (i.e., tactile) feedback informs the motor system about an object property (i.e., size). Here, we contrasted pantomime-grasps performed with (H+) and without (H-) haptic feedback (i.e., thumb and forefinger position information derived from the grasping hand touching the object) with a condition providing visual KR (VKR) related to absolute target object size. Just-noticeable-difference (JND) scores were computed to determine whether responses adhered to - or violated - Weber's law. JNDs for H+ trials violated the law, whereas H- and VKR trials adhered to the law. Accordingly, results demonstrate that haptic feedback - and not KR - supports an absolute tactile-haptic calibration.

Keywords: Weber's law; feedback; grasping; haptic; pantomime; tactile.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Calibration
  • Differential Threshold / physiology
  • Feedback, Sensory / physiology*
  • Female
  • Hand / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Touch Perception / physiology*