Heavier, or just colder? A new approach to perception research |
Why do cold objects feel heavier than warmer ones? Psychology has long had an interest in perception; how the external world is perceived by the individual and processed by the cognitive system, and much research has been conducted on this particular peculiarity. This article aims to explain a new way of investigating the interaction of temperature and weight perception, and present some preliminary data in support of using a new material, an epoxy-resin carbon-fibre composite cylinder. The cylinder had different thermal conductivities depending on its orientation, and thus allows mass and actual weight to be more easily and closely controlled than in previous research on the relationship between temperature and perceived weight; something we hope will be of use to those in the field of haptic perception, and of interest to those in related fields.
Sanders B, Zahra D, Hedge C, Summerscales J