The Role Of The Body In
Perceiving Real And Virtual Environments
Jeanine Stefanucci, University of Utah
Abstract: Embodied perception theories emphasize the role of bodies, motor simulation, and action as central to the act of perceiving. The notion that action capabilities influence perception is not new, as Gibson (1979) proposed the term affordances thirty years ago. We present research showing that visual representations of the body (either real or virtual) may influence the perception of affordances. Recent advances in body scanning technology and motion tracking now allow for digital representations of the body (e.g., self-avatars) that are extremely realistic. These virtual bodies can be altered and manipulated in ways not possible in the real world. Our results suggest that perceptual estimates of actions that can be performed in environments are affected by the presence of and perceived size of the virtual body. For example, when participants saw virtual representations of their feet that were quite big, they judged that they could step over wider gaps. Similarly, participants who threw a virtual ball to a target showed a reduced aftereffect from a prism adaptation when they could see their virtual arm or body while throwing. Further, recent work in real environments suggests that the size of others’ bodies may influence what we believe our own bodies can do in an environment, such as walking through apertures. Overall, our findings suggest that representations of the body affect our perceptions of the scale and layout of environments.
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