Haptic Perception of Gravitational and Inertial Mass

Mass can be perceived in different ways: statically, through gravitational cues; dynamically, through inertial cues; or a combination of both. This article investigates the relationship between these modes of perception. In three different experiments, subjects matched masses that were held statically in the hand to masses that were either accelerated or decelerated. Accelerated masses were perceived to be smaller than masses of equal physical magnitude held statically by a factor of 2. However, decelerated masses were matched veridically to masses held statically. This difference remained present when contact duration was made very short. This shows that the shift in perceived mass is not the result of differences in the information available, but of differences in the mode of perception (active acceleration vs. passive deceleration). It is hypothesized that this is due to a suppression of the perception of applied force in active touch.