Action-specific effects in perception and their potential applications

Witt, Jessica K. and Linkenauger, Sally and Wickens, Chris (2016) Action-specific effects in perception and their potential applications. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 5 (1). pp. 69-76. ISSN 2211-3681

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Abstract

Spatial perception is biased by action. Hills appear steeper and distances appear farther to individuals who would have to exert more effort to transverse the space. Objects appear closer, smaller, and faster when they are easier to obtain. Athletes who are playing better than others see their targets as bigger. These phenomena are collectively known as action-specific effects on perception. In this target article, we review evidence for action-specific effects, including evidence that they reflect genuine changes in perception, and speculate on possible applications of action’s influence on vision.