Perception of Tactile Graphics

描述（由申请人提供）：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，无论是盲人还是视力正常的人，当它们以触觉图像的形式呈现时，都很难识别出同样的图画。对于盲人来说，触觉图形是他们获取课本上可视化图表和插图信息的唯一解决方案。因此，建议的研究结果将用于改进触觉图形的制作，以便盲人更好地理解它们。本项目的具体目的是：1)探索触觉图像的复杂性如何影响感知；2)确定空间和时间整合对触觉图像感知的影响；3)研究人们对背景中嵌入物体的触觉图像的识别能力。所提出的实验的一般方法是向参与者展示触觉图像，并让他们画出他们所感知到的图像。盲人将使用特殊的纸张和触控笔绘制触觉图像。实验人员将使用一种定量的方法来评估这些画，这种方法计算出一个反映原始图像和参与者的画之间差异的距离分数。在第一项研究中，参与者将感受到不同复杂性的触觉刺激，从不同方向的简单线条到复杂的物体描绘。第二项研究将通过限制参与者感知图像的空间或时间窗口来确定触觉感知整合的局限性。参与者要么通过不同大小的孔（空间窗口）观看或感受图像，要么在有限的时间内观看或感受图像（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。这项研究将影响几个研究领域，包括计算机视觉，人类物体和场景识别，以及低视力康复。

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.