Touch-driven advantages in reaction time but not in performance in a cross-sensory comparison of reinforcement learning

Recent research has highlighted a notable confidence bias in the haptic sense, yet its impact on learning relative to other senses remains unexplored. This online study investigated learning behaviour across visual, auditory, and haptic modalities using a probabilistic selection task on computers an...

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Main Authors: Wenhan Sun, Isabelle Ripp, Aylin Borrmann, Maximilian Moll, Merle Fairhurst
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-01-01
Series:Heliyon
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844024173616
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author Wenhan Sun
Isabelle Ripp
Aylin Borrmann
Maximilian Moll
Merle Fairhurst
author_facet Wenhan Sun
Isabelle Ripp
Aylin Borrmann
Maximilian Moll
Merle Fairhurst
author_sort Wenhan Sun
collection DOAJ
description Recent research has highlighted a notable confidence bias in the haptic sense, yet its impact on learning relative to other senses remains unexplored. This online study investigated learning behaviour across visual, auditory, and haptic modalities using a probabilistic selection task on computers and mobile devices, employing dynamic and ecologically valid stimuli to enhance generalisability. We analysed reaction time as an indicator of confidence, alongside learning speed and task accuracy. Our results revealed the fastest reaction times with haptic stimuli, suggesting heightened perceptual confidence, whereas visual stimuli were the slowest, and auditory stimuli were intermediate. Despite these differences, all modalities demonstrated consistent learning speeds and accuracies. These findings support the ‘common currency’ hypothesis of perceptual confidence, facilitating modality-independent meta-representations for efficient decision-making. Additionally, reaction times were significantly faster on touch-based mobile devices compared to computers, underscoring the metacognitive efficiency of haptic feedback in technology-enhanced environments. The combination of faster reaction time in the haptic modality without sacrificing accuracy and the enhanced efficiency of touch-based interfaces advocates for the integration of haptics in technological designs to boost efficiency while maintaining a high level of precision.
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spelling doaj-art-d1874abedf8e4e8cb9025326f9c2b6c42025-01-17T04:50:56ZengElsevierHeliyon2405-84402025-01-01111e41330Touch-driven advantages in reaction time but not in performance in a cross-sensory comparison of reinforcement learningWenhan Sun0Isabelle Ripp1Aylin Borrmann2Maximilian Moll3Merle Fairhurst4Faculty of Philosophy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany; Centre for Tactile Internet with Human-in-the-Loop (CeTI), 6G Life, Technische Universität Dresden, Germany; Acoustics and Haptics, Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Technische Universität Dresden, Germany; Corresponding author. CVBE, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Gabelsbergerstraße 62, 80333 Munich, Germany.Faculty of Philosophy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, GermanyInstitute for Theoretical Computer Science, Mathematics and Operations Research, University of the Bundeswehr Munich, Neubiberg, GermanyInstitute for Theoretical Computer Science, Mathematics and Operations Research, University of the Bundeswehr Munich, Neubiberg, GermanyCentre for Tactile Internet with Human-in-the-Loop (CeTI), 6G Life, Technische Universität Dresden, Germany; Acoustics and Haptics, Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Technische Universität Dresden, GermanyRecent research has highlighted a notable confidence bias in the haptic sense, yet its impact on learning relative to other senses remains unexplored. This online study investigated learning behaviour across visual, auditory, and haptic modalities using a probabilistic selection task on computers and mobile devices, employing dynamic and ecologically valid stimuli to enhance generalisability. We analysed reaction time as an indicator of confidence, alongside learning speed and task accuracy. Our results revealed the fastest reaction times with haptic stimuli, suggesting heightened perceptual confidence, whereas visual stimuli were the slowest, and auditory stimuli were intermediate. Despite these differences, all modalities demonstrated consistent learning speeds and accuracies. These findings support the ‘common currency’ hypothesis of perceptual confidence, facilitating modality-independent meta-representations for efficient decision-making. Additionally, reaction times were significantly faster on touch-based mobile devices compared to computers, underscoring the metacognitive efficiency of haptic feedback in technology-enhanced environments. The combination of faster reaction time in the haptic modality without sacrificing accuracy and the enhanced efficiency of touch-based interfaces advocates for the integration of haptics in technological designs to boost efficiency while maintaining a high level of precision.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844024173616
spellingShingle Wenhan Sun
Isabelle Ripp
Aylin Borrmann
Maximilian Moll
Merle Fairhurst
Touch-driven advantages in reaction time but not in performance in a cross-sensory comparison of reinforcement learning
Heliyon
title Touch-driven advantages in reaction time but not in performance in a cross-sensory comparison of reinforcement learning
title_full Touch-driven advantages in reaction time but not in performance in a cross-sensory comparison of reinforcement learning
title_fullStr Touch-driven advantages in reaction time but not in performance in a cross-sensory comparison of reinforcement learning
title_full_unstemmed Touch-driven advantages in reaction time but not in performance in a cross-sensory comparison of reinforcement learning
title_short Touch-driven advantages in reaction time but not in performance in a cross-sensory comparison of reinforcement learning
title_sort touch driven advantages in reaction time but not in performance in a cross sensory comparison of reinforcement learning
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844024173616
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AT aylinborrmann touchdrivenadvantagesinreactiontimebutnotinperformanceinacrosssensorycomparisonofreinforcementlearning
AT maximilianmoll touchdrivenadvantagesinreactiontimebutnotinperformanceinacrosssensorycomparisonofreinforcementlearning
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