Abstract
Under zero gravity, the gravitational cues to mass are removed, but the inertial cues remain. A sensation of heaviness is generated if objects are shaken, and hence given a changing acceleration. A magnitude estimation experiment was conducted during the 0-G phase of parabolic flight and on the ground, and the results suggested that objects felt lighter under 0 G than under 1 G. Mass discrimination was also measured in flight, and yielded Weber fractions of .18 under 0 G, .16 under 1.8 G, and .09 under I G. Poor performance under microgravity and macrogravity was probably due mainly to lack of time for adaptation to changed G levels. It is predicted that discrimination should improve during the course of prolonged spaceflight, and that there should be an aftereffect of poor discrimination on return to earth.
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This work was supported by a grant to the first author from the Medical Research Council. Part of the research was conducted while she was based at the DFVLR Institut for Flugmedizin, Bonn, supported by fellowships from the European Space Agency and the Royal Society. The mass-discrimination apparatus was constructed by the University of Stifling, RAE (Farnborough), and ESTEC (Noordwijk).
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Ross, H.E., Reschke, M.F. Mass estimation and discrimination during brief periods of zero gravity. Perception & Psychophysics 31, 429–436 (1982). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03204852
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03204852