Can Distance Estimation Training Transfer to an Active Response?

Abstract

Telling individuals the distance between themselves and a target, right after they estimated that distance verbally, improves subsequent verbal estimations. Prior studies, however, have not tested whether or not such training improves the accuracy of perceptually guided actions, e.g., throwing an object to a target. We begin to do so here. Specifically, the present study compared throwing performance during Pre and Post-Testing for participants who either 1) generated verbal distance estimates during Training and received feedback, 2) produced verbal distance estimates during Training but did not receive feedback, or 3) performed an unrelated task during Training. An additional comparison examined whether any effects noted in earlier analyses stemmed from interactions between the Pre-Test and the feedback manipulation. Our results indicate that improving participants' ability to verbally estimate distances didn't improve (and possibly degraded) throwing accuracy. Accordingly, the benefits of verbal estimation training may only benefit subsequent verbal estimations.