Haptic spatial configuration learning in deaf and hearing individuals.
case_control · Level III
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 23593465.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0061336 and PMC identifier 3623816.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
The present study investigated haptic spatial configuration learning in deaf individuals, hearing sign language interpreters and hearing controls. In three trials, participants had to match ten shapes haptically to the cut-outs in a board as fast as possible. Deaf and hearing sign language users outperformed the hearing controls. A similar difference was observed for a rotated version of the board. The groups did not differ, however, on a free relocation trial. Though a significant sign language experience advantage was observed, comparison to results from a previous study testing the same task in a group of blind individuals showed it to be smaller than the advantage observed for the blind group. These results are discussed in terms of how sign language experience and sensory deprivation benefit haptic spatial configuration processing.
Medical subject headings
- Discrimination Learning
- Persons with Hearing Disabilities
- Space Perception
- Touch Perception