Pointing perception is precise

Cooney, Sarah; Brady, Nuala; McKinney, A. Patrick

doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2018.04.021

Cited by 12 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…While this hypothesis is clearly supported when the height of a referent needs to be deduced from a pointing gesture seen from the side, the model obviously needs elaboration. First, it is not consistent with all the data reported so far (Cooney et al, 2018). Second, it does not account for the finding that pointing gestures may be interpreted differently when seen from different viewpoints as indicated for systematic errors (Herbort et al, 2021; Herbort & Kunde, 2016; Mayer et al, 2020).…”

contrasting

confidence: 87%

“…These biases were larger for contralateral than ipsilateral points, regardless of the used arm. By contrast, Cooney et al (2018) reported almost perfect accuracy, except for contralateral points, in an experiment in which a pointer pointed at objects aligned horizontally between pointer and observer.…”

mentioning

confidence: 83%

“…While resulting in a less naturalistic setting, this approach guaranteed full visibility from all viewpoints 4 . Note that pointing perception relies almost exclusively on the perception of the arm, hand, and fingertip and the observer perspective, whereas factors such as gaze direction (Cooney et al, 2018), head direction (Herbort & Kunde, 2016), or visibility of the pointer’s body (Bangerter & Oppenheimer, 2006; Herbort & Kunde, 2016) hardly affect pointing perception. That is, if participants exclusively relied on the direction cue, the arm direction but not the finger position should affect vertical judgments.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The observer’s perspective determines which cues are used when interpreting pointing gestures.

Krause

Herbort

2021

Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Perfor

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Though ubiquitous in human communication, pointing gestures are often misunderstood. This study addressed how the observer's perspective affects pointing perception. More specifically, we tested the hypothesis that two different visual cues-namely (a) the vector defined by the pointer's arm or finger and (b) the pointer's index finger position in the observer's visual field-determine pointing perception and that their relative influence depends on the observer's perspective. In three experiments, participants judged the location at which a virtual or real pointer was pointing from different viewpoints. The experiments show that the observer perspective has a considerable effect on pointing perception. The more the observer's gaze direction is aligned with the pointing arm, the more observers rely on the position of the pointing finger in their visual field and the less they rely on its direction. Public Significance StatementPointing gestures are an essential part of human communication, but observers often have difficulties to interpret the target correctly. In this study, we show that two different strategies for the interpretation are used, depending on the observer's perspective on the pointing gesture and how this affects the perception. When standing close to the pointer, people rely on the same strategy as pointers do-using the pointer's index finger as an indicator for the target location-but when seeing the pointing arm from a sideward viewpoint, it is mainly extrapolated.

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contrasting

confidence: 87%

mentioning

confidence: 83%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The observer’s perspective determines which cues are used when interpreting pointing gestures.

Krause

Herbort

2021

Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Perfor

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“…So effective is pointing in reorienting children's attention that mothers in the village of Gapun, in Papua New Guinea, try to quiet fussy infants by pointing into the jungle at non-existent pigs (Kulick, 2019). In adults, pointing is processed automatically (Langton & Bruce, 2000), and with a remarkable degree of precision (Bangerter & Oppenheimer, 2006;Cooney, Brady, & McKinney, 2018). It speeds communication, helping listeners arrive more quickly at an intended referent (Louwerse & Bangerter, 2010).…”

Section: A Communicative Workhorsementioning

confidence: 99%

Fifteen ways of looking at a pointing gesture

Cooperrider¹

2020

Preprint

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The human pointing gesture may be viewed from many angles. On a neutral description, it is an intentional movement, often of the hand, by which one person tries to direct another’s attention—it is, in short, a bodily command to look. But this bland definition is only a start. Pointing may also be seen as a semiotic primitive, a philosophical puzzle, a communicative workhorse, a protean universal, a social tool, a widespread taboo, a partner of language, a part of language, a fixture of art, a graphical icon, a cognitive prop, a developmental milestone, a diagnostic window, a cross-species litmus test, and an evolutionary stepping-stone. These fifteen ways of looking highlight the diverse dimensions of one our most unassuming, ubiquitous behaviors. Pointing appears so widely, and in so many guises, because of what it embodies: a distinctively human preoccupation with attention.

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“…However, this apparent effect of the perspective has to be interpreted with care, because pointers always pointed with the hand close to the observer and their points with the left and right arm might have differed (cf. Cooney, Brady, & McKinney, 2018). Moreover, whereas observers typically interpret points as indicating a higher position than intended by the pointer (Bangerter & Oppenheimer, 2006;Herbort & Kunde, 2016Wnuczko & Kennedy, 2011), such errors were rare in an experiment in which participants interpreted videos of pointing gestures recorded from the pointer's viewpoint (Akkil & Isokoski, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perspective determines the production and interpretation of pointing gestures

2020

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Pointing is a ubiquitous means of communication. Nevertheless, observers systematically misinterpret the location indicated by pointers. We examined whether these misunderstandings result from the typically different viewpoints of pointers and observers. Participants either pointed themselves or interpreted points while assuming the pointer’s or a typical observer perspective in a virtual reality environment. The perspective had a strong effect on the relationship between pointing gestures and referents, whereas the task had only a minor influence. This suggests that misunderstandings between pointers and observers primarily result from their typically different viewpoints.

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Pointing perception is precise

Cited by 12 publications

References 34 publications

The observer’s perspective determines which cues are used when interpreting pointing gestures.

The observer’s perspective determines which cues are used when interpreting pointing gestures.

Fifteen ways of looking at a pointing gesture

Perspective determines the production and interpretation of pointing gestures

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