Haptic research has frequently equated softness with the compliance of elastic objects. However, in a recent study we have suggested that compliance is not the only perceived material dimension underlying what is commonly called softness [ 1 ]. Here, we investigate, whether the different perceptual dimensions of softness affect how materials are haptically explored. Specifically, we tested whether also the task, i.e., the attribute that a material is being judged on, might affect how a material is explored. To this end we selected 15 adjectives and 19 materials that each associate with different softness dimensions for the study. In the experiment, while participants freely explored and rated the materials, we recorded their hand movements. These movements were subsequently categorized into distinct exploratory procedures (EPs) and analyzed in a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). The results of this analysis suggest that the pattern of EPs depended not only on the material's softness dimension and the task (i.e., what attributes were rated), but also on an interaction between the two factors. Taken together, our findings support the notion of multiple perceptual dimensions of softness and suggest that participants actively adapt their EPs in a nuanced way when judging a particular softness dimensions for a given material.

中文翻译：

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任务和材料属性交互影响不同维度的柔软度探索

触觉研究经常将柔软度等同于弹性物体的柔顺性。然而，在最近的一项研究中，我们提出合规性并不是通常所谓的柔软性背后的唯一感知材料维度。 1]。在这里，我们调查了柔软度的不同感知维度是否会影响材料的触觉探索方式。具体来说，我们测试了任务，即判断材料的属性是否也可能影响探索材料的方式。为此，我们为研究选择了 15 个形容词和 19 种材料，每一种都与不同的柔软度维度相关联。在实验中，在参与者自由探索和评价材料的同时，我们记录了他们的手部动作。这些运动随后被分类为不同的探索程序 (EP)，并在多变量方差分析 (MANOVA) 中进行分析。该分析的结果表明，EP 的模式不仅取决于材料的柔软度维度和任务（即，对哪些属性进行评级），但也取决于这两个因素之间的相互作用。总之，我们的研究结果支持柔软度的多个感知维度的概念，并建议参与者在判断给定材料的特定柔软度维度时，以微妙的方式积极调整他们的 EP。