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Pilot Study: pg2

The second judge examined the same objects blindfolded. I noted that the routine of investigation appeared more considered and more thorough than that of the first judge, as more time and thought was put into communicating the perceived information. For example, minor surface details such as differences in smoothness were realised and commented upon with relatively detailed descriptions: "the temporature is very cold, the sensation is like when you stroke a car - it is smooth with several different curves" and "it is lightweight ...I visualise it like something floating on the sea - like polystyrene". When pieces with hair or feathers were placed in the subjects hand, the reactions appeared to be more of instinct than control or investigation. For example, when presented with a rubber piece covered with human hair, the judge visibly hesitated - demonstrating a sense of shock - before beginning his investigation. he also described the piece as " ...animal-like,... I don't like it, it's human but not human". He quickly moved on to the next piece!

When the second judge was asked to describe what thoughts were stimulated by the pieces, he described them as "seesaw-like, there's a flat edge and a curved edge". He continued to demonstrate this seesaw motion, using his index and ring fingers to rock the piece on the surface of the table. These results indicate that the overall outcome for the second judge was of a more experiential nature. I then asked the second (tactile) judge to visually identify the seven pieces from the original group of eleven. Here, the objects which suggested obvious tactile qualities were identified immediately. The hair and feathers were readily identified since the judge had obviously had previous experience of these textures prior to the experiment. Slightly less easily recognised items were those which necessitated something of a process of elimination. For example, there was only one wooden piece in the collection, and onlt one piece with an obvious external texture. However, the pieces which visually gave away little or no information regarding their tactile qualities - such as the black, relatively heavy piece containing iron-weight filler - could not be identified. Significantly, when asked to identify the objects with the combination of both visual and tactile perception, the judge identified all the pieces.