Reduced object-based perception in the near-hand space

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that hand proximity changes visual perception (Abrams et al. in Cognition 107(3):1035-1047, 2008). The present study examined the effects of hand proximity on object-based perception. In three experiments, participants viewed stimuli that were either near to or far from their hands. The target stimulus appeared, after a cue, in one of two rectangular objects: either at the location that had been previously cued, at the uncued end of the cued object, or in the uncued object. We found a significantly reduced same-object benefit in reaction time for stimuli near the hands in one experiment. Interestingly, we observed a same-object cost in sensitivity for stimuli near the hands in another experiment. The results reveal that object-based perception is disrupted in the near-hand space. This is consistent with previous findings revealing altered visual processing near the hands.