The Perception of Distance on a Real Geographic Slope

Ooi, Wu, and He (2001) have shown that for objects resting on flat, horizontal surfaces, those that appear in the lower sector of the visual field are perceived as close to the observer and objects located near the visual horizon are perceived as further from the observer. Researchers have hypothesized that observers utilize the angle subtended between the horizon and the line of sight to the target object as information for distance.In a previous investigation Hajnal, Bunch, and Kelty-Stephen (2014) showed that an object’s physical angle of declination below the horizon is not uniquely utilized when making distance estimates to objects placed on a sloped surface. In that experiment a flat, horizontal surface was visible in the background when viewing objects placed on the sloped surface. To further investigate the possible utility of the angular declination below the horizon hypothesis we have replicated the findings of the previous study on a natural hillside where a flat, horizontal surface is not visible in the background. This setup has allowed us to evaluate whether observers rely on the same information to perceive distance on ramps versus real hills. The present research may have implications for the hypothesis which claims that perceived effort influences space perception (Proffitt, 2006a, 2006b) in addition to optical variables

Proceedings of the 2023 Berry Summer Thesis Institute

Thanks to a gift from the Berry Family Foundation and the Berry family, the University Honors Program launched the Berry Summer Thesis Institute in 2012. The institute introduces students in the University Honors Program to intensive research, scholarship opportunities and professional development. Each student pursues a 12-week summer thesis research project under the guidance of a UD faculty mentor. This contains the product of the students\u27 research. Contents: “How Porous Materials Affect the Boundary-Layer Transition of Hypersonic Flight Vehicles” (Megan C. Sieve) “Ultra-Stretchable, Self-Healing, DLP 3D-Printed Elastomers for Damage-Resistant Soft Robots: A Review” (Robert M. A. Drexler) “Extrapolation of Scalar Measurements in a Helium Jet Using Rainbow Schlieren Deflectometry” (Joseph R. Kastner) “Characterizing the Frequency Response of Pressure-Sensitive Paint” (Charles J. Strunc) “Understanding Calcium Signaling in Invasive Glioblastoma Cells in a Microfluidic Model: A Review” (Jenna Abdelhamed) “A Brief Review on the TGF-β Pathway During Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition of Glioblastoma Multiforme” (Khadija Fatima) “The Effects of Environmental Factors on Listeria monocytogenes Fitness and Pathogenesis” (Nicolina Valore) “How We Free Ourselves: Contemporary Feminism and Freedom” (Aila A. Carr-Chellman) “Perception of Interpersonal Distance in Reality” (Connor N. Kuntz

A comparison of blindpulling and blindwalking as measures of perceived absolute distance

Blindwalking has become a common measure of perceived absolute distance and location, but it requires a relatively large testing space and cannot be used with people for whom walking is difficult or impossible. In the present article, we describe an alternative response type that is closely matched to blindwalking in several important respects but is less resource intensive. In the blindpulling technique, participants view a target, then close their eyes and pull a length of tape or rope between the hands to indicate the remembered target distance. As with blindwalking, this response requires integration of cyclical, bilateral limb movements over time. Blind-pulling and blindwalking responses are tightly linked across a range of viewing conditions, and blind-pulling is accurate when prior exposure to visually guided pulling is provided. Thus, blindpulling shows promise as a measure of perceived distance that may be used in nonambulatory populations and when the space available for testing is limited