Effects of Audio-Visual Information on Acting Force Perception

Abstract

We formed two hypotheses on the requirements necessary for contrast effect to occur, and conducted two experiments to investigate effects of audio-visual information on acting force perception by using a virtual reality system that we developed. Moving object tasks on paper stimulus with several kinds of visual stimuli were done in experiments according to the hypotheses. The results showed that the magnitude of force perception can be modified by audio-visual information and can be explained as an average of tactile force and audio-visual information, suggesting that the contrast effect with a tactile gain control by audio-visual information may occur only in passive haptic events not in active ones.