The visual cortex of human observers changes its functionality in response to visual deprivation (Boroojerdi et al., 2000). Behavioral studies have recently documented enhanced tactile abilities following a short period of visual deprivation (Facchini & Aglioti, 2003; Weisser, Stilla, Peltier, Hu, & Sathian, 2005). The current study investigated the effects of visual deprivation on two unique tactile tasks. While Facchini and Aglioti observed significant effects of visual deprivation, neither Wong, Hackeman, Hurd, and Goldreich (2011) nor Merabet et al. (2008) observed these effects. Corroborating these more recent results, no difference in grating orientation discrimination performance was observed between the sighted and visually deprived participants in the first experiment. A significant effect of experience was seen in both groups, however, irrespective of the deprivation period of 90 minutes. The second experiment immediately followed the conclusion of the first experiment. Using the same stimuli and procedures from past experiments (Norman, Clayton, Norman, & Crabtree, 2008), it investigated the participants’ haptic discrimination of 3-dimensional object shape. Again, no significant difference in performance was found between the sighted and visually deprived participants. Together, the current results show that a brief period of visual deprivation (1.5 hours) produces no significant behavioral changes for these tactile and haptic tasks.
","abstract_html":"<p>The visual cortex of human observers changes its functionality in response to visual deprivation (Boroojerdi et al., 2000). Behavioral studies have recently documented enhanced tactile abilities following a short period of visual deprivation (Facchini & Aglioti, 2003; Weisser, Stilla, Peltier, Hu, & Sathian, 2005). The current study investigated the effects of visual deprivation on two unique tactile tasks. While Facchini and Aglioti observed significant effects of visual deprivation, neither Wong, Hackeman, Hurd, and Goldreich (2011) nor Merabet et al. (2008) observed these effects. Corroborating these more recent results, no difference in grating orientation discrimination performance was observed between the sighted and visually deprived participants in the first experiment. A significant effect of experience was seen in both groups, however, irrespective of the deprivation period of 90 minutes. The second experiment immediately followed the conclusion of the first experiment. Using the same stimuli and procedures from past experiments (Norman, Clayton, Norman, & Crabtree, 2008), it investigated the participants’ haptic discrimination of 3-dimensional object shape. Again, no significant difference in performance was found between the sighted and visually deprived participants. Together, the current results show that a brief period of visual deprivation (1.5 hours) produces no significant behavioral changes for these tactile and haptic tasks.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Crabtree, Charles E."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":"Department of Psychology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["J. Farley Norman (Director), Pitt Derryberry, Lance W. Hahn"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2014,"date_issued":"2014-08-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2014-08-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T06:08:39Z","subjects":["Perception","Touch","Blindness","Form","Psychophysics","Cognitive Psychology","Cognition and Perception","Psychology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/1387","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["J. Farley Norman (Director), Pitt Derryberry, Lance W. Hahn"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Crabtree, Charles E."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Department of Psychology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Perception","Touch","Blindness","Form","Psychophysics","Cognitive Psychology","Cognition and Perception","Psychology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/1387"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The visual cortex of human observers changes its functionality in response to visual deprivation (Boroojerdi et al., 2000). Behavioral studies have recently documented enhanced tactile abilities following a short period of visual deprivation (Facchini & Aglioti, 2003; Weisser, Stilla, Peltier, Hu, & Sathian, 2005). The current study investigated the effects of visual deprivation on two unique tactile tasks. While Facchini and Aglioti observed significant effects of visual deprivation, neither Wong, Hackeman, Hurd, and Goldreich (2011) nor Merabet et al. (2008) observed these effects. Corroborating these more recent results, no difference in grating orientation discrimination performance was observed between the sighted and visually deprived participants in the first experiment. A significant effect of experience was seen in both groups, however, irrespective of the deprivation period of 90 minutes. The second experiment immediately followed the conclusion of the first experiment. Using the same stimuli and procedures from past experiments (Norman, Clayton, Norman, & Crabtree, 2008), it investigated the participants’ haptic discrimination of 3-dimensional object shape. Again, no significant difference in performance was found between the sighted and visually deprived participants. Together, the current results show that a brief period of visual deprivation (1.5 hours) produces no significant behavioral changes for these tactile and haptic tasks.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Short-Term Visual Deprivation, Tactile Acuity, and Haptic Solid Shape Discrimination"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["J. Farley Norman (Director), Pitt Derryberry, Lance W. Hahn"],"dc:creator":["Crabtree, Charles E."],"dc:description.abstract":["The visual cortex of human observers changes its functionality in response to visual deprivation (Boroojerdi et al., 2000). Behavioral studies have recently documented enhanced tactile abilities following a short period of visual deprivation (Facchini & Aglioti, 2003; Weisser, Stilla, Peltier, Hu, & Sathian, 2005). The current study investigated the effects of visual deprivation on two unique tactile tasks. While Facchini and Aglioti observed significant effects of visual deprivation, neither Wong, Hackeman, Hurd, and Goldreich (2011) nor Merabet et al. (2008) observed these effects. Corroborating these more recent results, no difference in grating orientation discrimination performance was observed between the sighted and visually deprived participants in the first experiment. A significant effect of experience was seen in both groups, however, irrespective of the deprivation period of 90 minutes. The second experiment immediately followed the conclusion of the first experiment. Using the same stimuli and procedures from past experiments (Norman, Clayton, Norman, & Crabtree, 2008), it investigated the participants’ haptic discrimination of 3-dimensional object shape. Again, no significant difference in performance was found between the sighted and visually deprived participants. Together, the current results show that a brief period of visual deprivation (1.5 hours) produces no significant behavioral changes for these tactile and haptic tasks.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/1387"],"dc:subject":["Perception","Touch","Blindness","Form","Psychophysics","Cognitive Psychology","Cognition and Perception","Psychology"],"dc:title":["Short-Term Visual Deprivation, Tactile Acuity, and Haptic Solid Shape Discrimination"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Department of Psychology"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T06:08:39Z"}