Haptic figure-ground differentation via a haptic glance

This study begins to address the nature of human haptic perceptual organization by examining "figure/ground: segmentation from a haptic perspective (i.e., differentiating an object from its supporting surface). The experiment focuses on the perception of the presence of an object via brief contact (i.e., a haptic glance) when both kinetic properties and geometric properties are manipulated. The results suggest that contact with objects that are moveable (cf. fixed) and tall (cf. short) greatly increases the perceived probability that an object is present. The effect of kinetics is further heightened when moveable objects have convexly curved bases.