* * * * Distance Perception and Throwing Bean-Bags * Does Verbal Training Improve Perception Estimates and Actions * Emily Satel * Texas Tech University * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Abstract * Our research examined the relationship between verbal estimates of depth perception and active tasks involving depth perception by studying 20 participants in two conditions: the feedback condition and the no feedback condition. Participants in each condition completed tasks related to depth perception then underwent training involving making verbal estimations of distances before finally completing the task again. The only difference between the two groups was that those in the feedback condition were given feedback about the accuracy of their judgments during training and those in the no feedback condition were not. Our results suggest that verbal estimate training helps participants who receive feedback complete their active tasks more accurately. This suggests that training can help improve peoples abilities to make verbal estimates about distance and thus complete tasks related to depth perception with greater ease and more accuracy. * * * * * * * * * *

Introduction * Our ability to accurately judge distances and perceive depths is an important skill in everyday tasks like driving. Unfortunately this is not an easily acquired ability. Past research has focused mainly on: the stability of our ability to produce accurate distance estimations in different settings (e.g. from certain angles, exocentric v egocentric, at night with night vision goggles, underwater etc.), different approaches to making more accurate distance perceptions, the different faculties (cognitive systems, visual systems,