Hand Proximity Affects Length Estimation Accuracy

The hand proximity effect means that the proximity of the hand will affect our visual perception.Numerous studies have shown that objects near the hand will receive more attention and processing.In life,we often use our hands to measure the size of objects,which is more accurate than just by visual estimation.However,it is unclear whether merely placing the hand next to the object without performing measurement actions will make the estimation more accurate.Moreover,estimation accuracy will be affected by various environmental factors.Under the background of a typical size illusion,lines or circles of the same size give people a different feeling,so whether the proximity of hand will affect this illusion perception needs further investigation.This research explores the application of the hand proximity effect in the estimation field based on previous studies.Three experiments have respectively confirmed the influence of hand proximity on estimation accuracy,the influence of hand proximity on the estimation accuracy under the background of illusion,and the application of hand proximity in distance estimation on accurate maps.Experiment 1 aimed to prove that a simple length estimation task could be applied to study on hand proximity effect using a single-factor within-subject experiment.The independent variable,hand position,had three levels: hands-far condition,hands-near condition,and hands-near pen-holding condition.This test also verified whether the hand proximity effect took effect when using a tool.Experiment 2,based on Experiment 1,added an illusion background to the visual space,using 2(hand position: hands-far,hands-near)×2(cue position: left,right)within-subject experiment.The aim was to explore whether the perception of segments under illusion space would be affected by the proximity of the hand.Experiment 3 was a single-factor within-subject experimental design,with only two hand position levels: hands-far condition and hands-near condition.The experiment discussed the feasibility of applying the research findings to actual work and life.The conclusions are as follows:(1)Hand position near the target can enhance the estimation accuracy of the line segment length.This conclusion supports the application of the hand proximity effect in the field of length estimation.(2)In the context of illusion space,the influence of hand position on estimation accuracy is related to the spatial position of the stimulus.When the target stimulus displays on the right side of the screen,the hand position has a more significant impact,and the hand proximity effect is more pronounced.(3)In the context of actual satellite images,the proximity of the hands makes the estimation of the distance between two points in the map more accurate.