相对距离的估计是日常生活中广泛使用的感知任务。当估计基于触觉时,该重要技能遭受可能更明显的偏差。对于盲人和视障人士来说尤其如此,其中触觉距离估计是最重要的,但没有系统地训练。我们研究了可编程触觉显示器,自主使用,可以提高7至22岁的盲人和严重视力障碍青少年的距离辨别能力。
培训包括四个每周的课程,参与者被要求在触觉上找到,在可编程触觉显示器上,在具有多个正方形的触觉图像中,以最短和最长距离隔开的成对正方形。在训练前后进行了一系列带有凸起线图的触觉测试,并将得分与只做触觉电池的对照组进行比较,无需在触觉显示器上进行距离辨别训练。
在训练期间,失明和严重受损的年轻人在任务中变得更加准确和更快。在触觉电池结果中,使用可编程显示器的失明和严重受损的年轻人在三次和两次测试中有所改善,分别。相比之下,在对照组中,盲目对照组仅在一项测试中有所改善,和没有测试的严重视力受损者。
在失明和严重受损的参与者中,距离辨别技能同样可以得到很好的训练。更重要的是,使用可编程触觉显示器进行自主训练的效果超出了经过训练的任务。参与者不仅在尺寸辨别测试中而且在记忆跨度测试中都有所改善。我们的研究表明,需要最少的人工帮助的触觉刺激训练可以有效地提高通用空间技能。
The estimation of relative distance is a perceptual task used extensively in everyday life. This important skill suffers from biases that may be more pronounced when estimation is based on haptics. This is especially true for the blind and visually impaired, for which haptic estimation of distances is paramount but not systematically trained. We investigated whether a programmable tactile display, used autonomously, can improve distance discrimination ability in blind and severely visually impaired youngsters between 7 and 22 years-old.
Training consisted of four weekly sessions in which participants were asked to haptically find, on the programmable tactile display, the pairs of squares which were separated by the shortest and longest distance in tactile images with multiple squares. A battery of haptic tests with raised-line drawings was administered before and after training, and scores were compared to those of a control group that did only the haptic battery, without doing the distance discrimination training on the tactile display.
Both blind and severely impaired youngsters became more accurate and faster at the task during training. In haptic battery results, blind and severely impaired youngsters who used the programmable display improved in three and two tests, respectively. In contrast, in the control groups, the blind control group improved in only one test, and the severely visually impaired in no tests.
Distance discrimination skills can be trained equally well in both blind and severely impaired participants. More importantly, autonomous training with the programmable tactile display had generalized effects beyond the trained task. Participants improved not only in the size discrimination test but also in memory span tests. Our
study shows that tactile stimulation training that requires minimal human assistance can effectively improve generic spatial skills.