Athletes playing well describe distortions in spatial perception: basketball hoops appear as large as hula-hoops, golf holes as big as manholes, and baseballs as big as grapefruits. These subjective, anecdotal effects have been confirmed in experiments as psychological reality. However, they are not accounted for by current theories of perception, which consider optical cues and limited cognitive knowledge as the information for perception. In those theories, performance is thought to affect a post-perceptual process that generates the response rather than affecting perception itself. The aim of this proposal is to determine whether the experience of a larger target when playing well reflects a perceptual or a post-perceptual effect and to characterize the conditions under which action is most or least likely to influence perception.
Action-related factors, such as performance, influencing perception has important implications for our understanding of the perceptual process. In particular, it requires a functional approach in which perception provides information that is beneficial for planning actions. Strategies could eventually be developed to exploit or compensate for differences in how individuals experience their environments. Such strategies could elevate skilled performance, enhance rehabilitative strategies, and encourage more active behaviors in sedentary individuals. For example, if a goal is experienced as closer, an elderly or obese adult might be more willing to walk, thereby promoting a healthier lifestyle.
