The material-weight illusion induced by expectations alone

Gavin Buckingham, Nathalie S Ranger, Melvyn A Goodale

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    47 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    In the material-weight illusion (MWI), equally weighted objects that appear to be made from different materials are incorrectly perceived as having different weights when they are lifted one after the other. Here, we show that continuous visual experience of the lift is not a prerequisite for this compelling misperception of weight; merely priming the lifters' expectations of heaviness is sufficient for them to experience a robust MWI. Furthermore, these expectations continued to influence the load force used to lift MWI-inducing stimuli trial after trial, supporting the notion that vision plays an important role in the skillful lifting of objects.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)36-41
    Number of pages6
    JournalAttention, Perception, and Psychophysics
    Volume73
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Jan 2011

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