Rate of Motion and Object Perception in the Blind

Abstract

The present study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between rate of motion of a blind observer and his ability to perceive obstacles.

The subject was a totally blind boy of 11 years who was instructed to ride his bicycle over a course in which two movable obstacles had been placed. After 40 trials without a collision, the subject was instructed to ride as swiftly as he could. Forty additional trials were given.

The results showed only four collisions, and one of those was during the higher speed trials. Thus, the results indicate that for this boy, higher speeds do not impair object perception.