Perception of Tactile Graphics

描述(申请人提供)：拟议研究的总体目标是回答以下问题：为什么触觉图形难以理解？视力正常的人可以很容易地识别物体的线条图。然而，无论是盲人还是有视力的人，当它们被呈现为触觉图像时，都会发现很难识别相同的图形。对于盲人来说，触觉图形是获取教科书中视觉图表和插图中信息的唯一解决方案。因此，拟议的研究结果将用于改进触觉图形的产生，以便盲人更好地理解它们。这个项目的具体目的是：1)探索触觉图像的复杂性如何影响感知；2)确定时空整合对触觉图像感知的影响；3)调查人们对嵌入在背景中的物体的触觉图像的识别能力。拟议实验的总体方法是向参与者展示触觉图像，并让他们画出他们所感知的图像。盲人将使用特殊的纸张和触控笔绘制触觉图像。实验者将使用一种定量测量方法来评估这些图画，该方法计算的距离分数反映了原始图像和参与者的图画之间的差异。在第一项研究中，参与者将感受到不同复杂程度的触觉刺激，从不同方向的简单线条到对物体的复杂描述。第二项研究将通过限制参与者感受图像的空间或时间窗口来确定触觉知觉整合的局限性。参与者将通过不同大小的光圈(空间窗口)来观看或感觉图像，或者他们将有有限的时间来观看或感觉图像(时间窗口)。在第三项研究中，参与者将感受到嵌入在简单背景中的物体的触觉图像。这项研究将对多个研究领域产生影响，包括计算机视觉、人体物体和场景识别以及低视力康复。 公共卫生相关性：相关性拟议的研究旨在改进视觉图形到触觉图形的转换，供视障人士使用。通过使视觉图形中的信息更容易获取，这项研究将改善为视力低下者提供的教育服务。这项工作还将促进更好的视觉到触觉替代技术的发展。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The broad objective of the proposed research is to answer the following question: why are tactile graphics difficult to understand? People with normal vision can easily recognize line drawings of objects. However, both blind and sighted people find it very difficult to recognize the same drawings when they are presented as tactile images. For blind people, tactile graphics are the only solution for accessing information in visual diagrams and illustrations found in textbooks. Consequently, the results of the proposed research will be used to improve the production of tactile graphics so that they are better understood by blind people. The specific aims of this project are to: 1) explore how the complexity of tactile images affects perception, 2) determine the effects of spatial and temporal integration on perception of tactile images, and 3) investigate how well people can recognize tactile images of objects embedded in backgrounds. The general methodology of the proposed experiments is to present participants with tactile images and to have them draw what they perceive the images to be. Blind individuals will draw tactile images using special paper and a stylus. The experimenters will evaluate the drawings by using a quantitative measure that computes a distance score reflecting the discrepancy between the original image and the participant's drawing. In the first study, participants will feel tactile stimuli of varying complexity, from simple lines in different orientations to complex depictions of objects. The second study will determine the limitations of tactile perceptual integration by limiting either the spatial or temporal window over which participants feel the image. Participants will either view or feel images through apertures of various sizes (spatial window) or they will have a limited amount of time to view or feel the images (temporal window). In the third study, participants will feel tactile images of objects embedded in simple backgrounds. This research will impact several areas of study, including computer vision, human object and scene recognition, and low vision rehabilitation. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Relevance The proposed research seeks to improve the translation of visual graphics into tactile graphics for use by visually-impaired individuals. By making the information in visual graphics more accessible, this research will improve educational services for people with low vision. This work will also facilitate the development of better visual-to-tactile substitution technologies.