Manual resolution of compliance when work and force cues are minimized

Abstract

This paper summarizes new experiments on compliance discrimination in which work cues were eliminated and force cues were minimized. The average JNDs for compliance ranged from 15% to 99% and were much larger than the average JND (8%, see Tan, Pang & Durlach, 1992) obtained from previous compliance discrimination experiments in which both work and terminal force cues, as well as compliance cues, were available to the subject. By converting results to corresponding JNDs in terminal force, we obtained a force JND of 5.2%±0.8%; this value was found to be consistent with force JNDs (6-8%, see Pang, Tan & Durlach, 1991; Tan et al., 1992) we had obtained earlier from force discrimination experiments. We conclude from these compliance experiments and our previous experiments on force and compliance perception that manual resolution of compliance deteriorates when force and/or work cues are reduced or eliminated.