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Pilot Study: pg1

As a pilot study to develop my understanding of the potential for tactile imagery, I devised a small project to investigate the difference between tactile and visual perception. For the experiment, i produced eleven similarly shaped objects, each with its own tactile properties. The materials used to produce the pieces are predominantly plastics, plastic composites and wood. seven of these were presented one by one, to two judges.

The first judge was allowed to view and feel the objects. The second was blindfolded, thus essentially only having the sense of touch to investigate the objects. When presented with each object, the first judge appeared to quickly develop a routine of investigation. This consisted of a brief visual summary of apparent surface details - colour, material and texture. The piece was then held and any immediately obvious tactile details - for example weight and temporature - were described. Finally the piece was held and viewed from all angles and more detailed touch investigation occured on areas of particular visual curiosity, for example small air bubbles visible on the surface, or areas of different colours. When asked what thoughts were stimulated by the pieces, the subject described them as "aerodynamic - a fast moving vehicle, maybe a car or plane" and "...small lines along the length of the piece - making me think of travelling forwards". These results indicate that the overall experience and final description of the pieces was of a highly visual nature. This is illustrative of my earlier research , which points to the supremacy of the visual sense when investigating objects.