Perceptual processing strategies in the cross-modal transfer of form discrimination: A developmental study.

Abstract

Groups of Grad 1, high school students, and elderly subjects were tested for their ability to discriminate tactile forms. The performance of control subjects who received no prior training was compared with that of subjects who received prior visual training under normal viewing conditions (Vw), or prior visual training with special goggles restricting form perception to a series of part impressions (Vp). Both the visual and tactile versions of the task involved comparisons of standard figures matched either with themselves or with transformation figures. There was no evidence of transfer for the children, regardless of previous experience. Specific as well as nonspecific cross-modal transfer was found in the high school and elderly groups following Vp training. Positive transfer was also found for the high school students in the Vw condition, although there is some question whether this was the result solely of cross-modal effects. Whereas all age groups performed equally well on standard versus transformation comparisons, standard versus standard matches were highest in the high school students, lowest in the children, and intermediate in the elderly. The generally poor performance of the children and the inability on the part of the elderly to benefit from Vw training are discussed in terms of task difficulty and inefficient perceptual processing strategies.

Effects of Aging in Multisensory Integration: A Systematic Review

“…Some authors tested visual-to-tactual recognition or tactual-to-visual recognition (Oscar-Berman et al, 1990; Norman et al, 2006), others did temporal order judgment tasks with or without distractors in the same or other modality (Poliakoff et al, 2006a,b), others did the Fitts’ task (Temprado et al, 2013) and a tactual transfer task (Coté and Schaefer, 1981). Other authors looked at the effects of the suppression or disturbance of the input of a modality; Brodoehl et al (2015) investigated the changes in somatosensory detection threshold when participants opened and closed their eyes; Strupp et al (1999) investigated the effects of somatosensory perturbation using dorsal muscle vibration on the performance in a task where participants were asked to move a laser spot to the position they perceived as straight ahead.…”

Vibrotactile localization on the arm: Effects of place, space, and age

“…Similarly, Gescheider, Edwards, Lackner, Bolanowski, and Verrillo (1996) also reported a decline in sensitivity with age, whereas there was no effect of age on suprathreshold intensitive difference limens (DLs). A few notable studies have shown similar declines in performance in complex measures of tactile pattern processing, such as haptic or form exploration (Axelrod & Cohen, 1961;Coté & Schaefer, 1981;Kleinman & Brodzinsky, 1978), spatial acuity (Stevens, 1992), or temporal processing (Van Doren, Gescheider, & Verrillo, 1990). The underlying cause of the progressive loss has usually been attributed to physiological changes in the skin itself (e.g., Steinberg & Graber, 1963;Stevens, 1992;Verrillo, 1979) or neurological factors (Lindblom & Verrillo, 1979;Mirsky, Futterman, & Broh-Kahn, 1953;Wahren & Torebjork, 1992).…”

Transfer of Training: An Interpretive Review

“…In other words, the subject is not able to process the necessary information in any kind of usable form (cf. Cote & Schaefer, 1981). …”