Short-Term Visual Deprivation Does Not Enhance Tactile Spatial Acuity
Author Information
Author(s): Wong Michael, Hackeman Erik, Hurd Caitlin, Goldreich Daniel
Primary Institution: McMaster University
Hypothesis
Does visual deprivation cause tactile acuity enhancement?
Conclusion
Short-term visual deprivation does not improve tactile spatial acuity.
Supporting Evidence
- Tactile performance degraded slightly but significantly upon a brief period of visual deprivation.
- Women significantly outperformed men on the grating orientation task.
- The experiments consistently showed that tactile grating orientation discrimination does not improve with short-term visual deprivation.
Takeaway
The study found that covering your eyes for a short time doesn't make your sense of touch better; in fact, it might make it a little worse.
Methodology
Three experiments were conducted using a grating orientation task to assess tactile spatial acuity under different visual deprivation conditions.
Potential Biases
Potential biases from the order of testing conditions and participant alertness during visual deprivation.
Limitations
The study only examined short-term visual deprivation and did not assess long-term effects.
Participant Demographics
158 normally sighted participants, including 24 men and 24 women in Experiment 1, with ages ranging from 18.4 to 22.8 years.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p=0.010 (ambient lighting), p=0.029 (sex)
Confidence Interval
0.02 – 0.15 mm (ambient lighting), 0.03–0.48 mm (sex)
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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