The effects of viewpoint, motion, and affordance priming on perceptual learning of feelies.

This article investigates visual perceptual learning using novel, unfamiliar objects called "feelies," focusing on how motion, viewpoint, and task relevance influence learning. Two experiments tested whether viewing feelies statically or rotating (motion) from either a side (canonical) or top (noncanonical) perspective affected participants' ability to discriminate and learn these objects without feedback. Experiment 1 found that although static presentations led to faster attainment of perfect accuracy, the combination of motion and side view produced a more stable and efficient learning pattern. Experiment 2 introduced functional priming tasks—having participants generate or be provided with potential uses (affordances) of the objects—and demonstrated that active generation of affordances combined with viewing rotating objects from the side yielded the most accurate and stable learning, supporting the ecological theory that perceptual learning is enhanced by active exploration and functional relevance. The study concludes that perceptual learning benefits from active sampling through movement and meaningful engagement with object affordances, with implications for understanding perception as a goal-directed, action-oriented process.