2008 Volume 26 Issue 2 Pages 121-128
We investigated the changes of perceptual representation of a 3D wooden framed object that was constructed corresponding to a 2D Mach book. The 3D framed object had only an outline of the book, and it lacked the spine and the left and right pages. When this 3D framed object was observed however, about 30% of the observers perceived a spine and a difference in brightness between the left and right pages (i.e., global representation). Other observers perceived it simply as a framed model of a book without the spine (i.e., local representation). To examine how the perceptual representations of the framed object changed, we manipulated the manner of visual search in Experiment 1. About 60% of the participants perceived the framed object globally when they searched a part of the spine, or searched the left and right pages alternatively. In Experiments 2 to 4, the participants were required to passively or actively touch a framed or filled book model while observing the framed object. The proportion of participants who perceived the framed object globally also increased when they actively touched the filled wooden book model. These findings are discussed in terms of perceptual coordination between vision and touch.
