Perception-Action System Calibration in the Presence of Stable and Unstable Perceptual Perturbations
Date of Award
5-2018
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Psychology
Committee Member
Dr. Christopher Pagano, Committee Chair
Committee Member
Dr. Dewayne Moore
Committee Member
Dr. Rick Tyrrell
Committee Member
Dr. Eric Muth
Abstract
Actors are able to calibrate to various changes to both their own abilities and their surrounding environments. Most calibration studies have examined recalibration to stable perturbations (i.e., a single, constant change). However, numerous real-world experiences involve perturbations that do not remain constant. The present studies investigated the effect of varying perturbations on postural sway and prospective control. It was hypothesized that short-timescale variations of a perturbation would affect participants' ability to recalibrate. Specifically, the different patterns of perturbation would result in a change to postural sway that would mediate the relationship between the condition and the ability to calibrate. It was found that accuracy was dependent on the type of environmental conditions of the perturbation change (i.e., the rate of change or the pattern of change). However, in general, calibration effects were found for all conditions. The different perturbations also affected the amount of postural sway. The proposed mediated relationship was not supported by this series of experiments. However, this is most likely due to the task not creating enough variability within the variables of interest. The results of these experiments provide further evidence for perception-action system calibration mechanism through task-relevant feedback.
Recommended Citation
Hartman, Leah, "Perception-Action System Calibration in the Presence of Stable and Unstable Perceptual Perturbations" (2018). All Dissertations. 2144.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/2144