Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2024
Publication Title
Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology
Keywords
affordances, stepping, constraints, creativity
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that choices about how to configure stepping-stones to be used as playground or exercise equipment reflect a person’s action capabilities. In two experiments, we investigated whether choices about how to configure stepping-stones to be used as a path for locomotion additionally reflect the goals for which or the constraints under which the path is to be used. In Experiment 1, participants created stepping-stone configurations (with rubber mats) that would allow them to cross a given space quickly, comfortably, or carefully. Configurations in the “Quickly” condition consisted of fewer mats, and longer mean (linear) distances between mats, and greater “challenge” (relative to maximum stepping distance) than in the other two conditions. In Experiment 2, participants created stepping-stone configurations that would be fun to use or that would be easy to use to cross a given space. Configurations in the “Fun” condition consisted of more mats, longer linear distances between mats, and greater “challenge” than those in the “Easy” condition. Moreover, paths in the “Fun” condition were also wider, longer, and exhibited larger changes in distances and angles between consecutive mats than in the “Easy” condition. The results are discussed both in terms of implications for understanding affordances and for the design of stepping-stone paths.
Funding Source
This article was published Open Access thanks to a transformative agreement between Milner Library and Sage Journals.
Recommended Citation
Wagman, J. B., Tahsin Orthy, M., Jeschke, A. M., & Duffrin, T. (2024). Created stepping-stone configurations depend on task constraints. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1177/17470218241242420
DOI
10.1177/17470218241242420
Comments
First published in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (2024), https://doi.org/10.1177/17470218241242420.
This is an Open Access article published under a CC BY-NC 4.0 Deed Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).