The Roles for Prior Visual Experience and Age on the Extraction of Egocentric Distance.

Objectives: In a well-lit room, observers can generate well-constrained estimates of the distance to an object on the floor even with just a fleeting glimpse. Performance under these conditions is typically characterized by some underestimation but improves when observers have previewed the room. Such evidence suggests that information extracted from longer durations may be stored to contribute to the perception of distance at limited time frames. Here, we examined the possibility that this stored information is used differentially across age. Specifically, we posited that older adults would rely more than younger adults on information gathered and stored at longer glimpses to judge the distance of briefly glimpsed objects.

Method: We collected distance judgments from younger and older adults after brief target glimpses. Half of the participants were provided 20-s previews of the testing room in advance; the other half received no preview.

Results: Performance benefits were observed for all individuals with prior visual experience, and these were moderately more pronounced for the older adults.

Discussion: The results suggest that observers store contextual information gained from longer viewing durations to aid in the perception of distance at brief glimpses, and that this memory becomes more important with age.