Citation

Molto L, Morgado N, Guinet E, Fazioli L, Heurley LP, Palluel-Germain R. Psychon. Bull. Rev. 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

University of Grenoble Alpes, University of Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LPNC, Grenoble, France. richard.palluel@univ-grenoble-alpes.fr.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Psychonomic Society Publications)

DOI

10.3758/s13423-019-01686-7

PMID

31965482

Abstract

Witt and Proffit (Human Perception and Performance, 34 (6), 1479-1492, 2008) hypothesized that when people intend to reach a target, they run a motor simulation allowing them to anticipate potential reaching constraints and outcomes, which in turn affects spatial perception. They reported that participants estimated targets to be closer to them when they intended to use a reach-extending tool, but only when they did not perform a concurrent motor task. The authors concluded that the concurrent motor task prevented the simulation of tool-use and its effect on perception. Reported here is a replication that extends their work through an additional control group and a larger sample size. Our results failed to support either the role of motor simulation in the tool-use effect on distance estimation or the tool-use effect itself. Moreover, a reanalysis of Witt and Proffitt's data suggested that they should have been more nuanced in their own conclusions. Further replications are needed in order to elucidate the existence, nature, boundary conditions, and underlying mechanisms of the action constraint effects on space perception.

Language: en

Keywords

Distance perception; Motor simulation; Registered replication report; Tool-use