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Rapid recalibration based on optic flow in visually guided action

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Abstract

Action capabilities are always subject to limits. Whether on foot or in a vehicle, people can only move so fast, slow down so quickly, and turn so sharply. The successful performance of almost any perceptual-motor task requires actors to learn and continually relearn their ever-changing action capabilities. Such learning can be considered an example of perceptual-motor calibration. The present study includes two experiments designed to address basic questions about the nature of this calibration process. Subjects performed a simulated braking task, using a foot pedal to slow down to a stop in front of an obstacle in the path of motion. At one point in the experiment, the strength of the brake was increased or decreased unbeknownst to subjects, and behavior before and after the change in brake strength was analyzed for evidence of recalibration. Experiment 1 showed that actors rapidly recalibrate following a change in brake dynamics, even when they are unaware of the change. In Experiment 2, the scene turned black one second after braking was initiated. Subjects still recalibrated following the change in brake strength, suggesting that information in the sensory consequences of the initial brake adjustment is sufficient for recalibration, even in the absence of feedback about the outcome (i.e., in terms of final position error) of the task. Discussion focuses on the critical but often overlooked role of calibration in continuously controlled visually guided action, and the nature of the information used for recalibration.

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Notes

  1. Maximum deceleration, in turn, is a function of many factors, including the strength of the brake, the condition of the brake pads, surface traction, slope, etc.

  2. The constant rate of deceleration that would bring the actor to a stop exactly at the intended location, which I refer to as ideal deceleration, is equal to v 2/(2 × z), where v is approach speed and z is distance. v/z is equal to the inverse of the amount of time remaining until the driver reaches the intended location assuming constant velocity, which Lee (1976) called time-to-contact, and is specified by the ratio of the rate of optical expansion \( \ifmmode\expandafter\dot\else\expandafter\=\fi{\theta } \) to the optical angle θ \( {\text{(or}}\;1/\tau ,{\text{where}}\,\tau {\text{ = }}\theta {\text{/}}\ifmmode\expandafter\dot\else\expandafter\=\fi{\theta }{\text{)}}{\text{.}} \) As long as eye height is fixed, which it typically is for tasks that involve braking, speed is specified by global optic flow rate (GOFR), which is the rate of optic flow of the ground texture underneath the actor (Larish and Flach 1990; Warren 1982). Substituting \( \ifmmode\expandafter\dot\else\expandafter\=\fi{\theta }{\text{/}}\theta \) for v/z and GOFR for v, ideal deceleration can be expressed in terms of optical variables as \( GOFR \times \ifmmode\expandafter\dot\else\expandafter\=\fi{\theta }{\text{/}}\theta {\text{.}} \)

  3. Because there was nothing in Experiment 1 to suggest that recalibration to increases in brake strength is any different than recalibration to decreases in brake strength, we only tested two groups in Experiment 2 (i.e., a group whose brake strength decreased, and a control group).

  4. The sample trial in Fig. 8a was chosen to illustrate a specific hypothesis about how people could recalibrate on the basis of optical consequences. However, it should be noted that the deceleration profile in Fig. 8a is not typical of the deceleration profiles in most trials, which tended to look more like those in Fig. 5.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (BCS 0236734). I thank Mark Stenpeck and Brian Richmond for programming the simulation and Sarah Bowie for collecting the data.

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  1. Department of Cognitive Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Carnegie Building 308, 110 8th Street, Troy, NY, 12180-3590, USA

    Brett R. Fajen

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Fajen, B.R. Rapid recalibration based on optic flow in visually guided action. Exp Brain Res 183, 61–74 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-007-1021-1

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